Union calls for Cains boycott over redundancies
THE union Unite is calling for drinkers on Merseyside to boycott Cains beer in solidarity with 38 workers who have lost their jobs at the business without receiving wages or redundancy pay.
Last month Cains said 15 of the company’s 56 jobs would go after it decided to stop brewing lager for supermarkets.
But last week owners Sudarghara and Ajmail Dusanj suspended all brewing telling staff it was no longer viable.
It will only restart if permission is won for a major redevelopment of the site as a leisure and tourism destination called Brewery Village.
A letter seen by the Liverpool Echo from Sudarghara Dusanj to staff said, “The company is not in a position to make any payment to you in connection with your employment to date, nor in relation to the termination of your employment.”
Unite regional officer, Franny Joyce said: “Just because the brewery was opened in Victorian times, it is no excuse for Ajmail and Sudarghara Dusanj to treat its workforce in such a draconian and disgraceful manner. This is not the first time these brothers have behaved like this – they are not fit and proper people to be running a modern day business in this city.
“Unite is 100% behind its members. We are calling on the people of Merseyside to support workers in their fight to secure all the money that is owed to them and to boycott all Cains’ beers until this happens.”
The Dusanj brothers want to focus on craft ales and turn part of the grade II-listed headquarters building on Grafton Street into a 100-bed boutique hotel, art house cinema, food market and restaurant. A second phase will see apartments built on an adjacent site.
A spokesman for Cains said: “We deeply regret the loss of jobs at the site and the manner in which we were forced to make people redundant. We found ourselves in a position where we had no choice but to act according to the guidance of our professional advisors.
“The decline in supermarket own label beer orders has had a huge impact on our business and the nature of our brewery is such that its operation cannot be scaled down in a simple fashion. It would have been financial madness and in no-one’s interests to continue with such huge overheads for a relatively small brewing operation.
“It is important to emphasise, however, that brewing remains at the heart of our plans for a redevelopment of the site. The existing brewery will be redesigned during the anticipated scheme so that it is more efficient and better suited for future use.
“We are continuing to discuss matters with our advisors about how we best manage winding up the current canning and brewery side of the business. Cains is alive and kicking and we are extremely positive about our future plans, which will secure a brewing in the city for decades to come.”
