Greene King, the parent firm of Belhaven brewery in Dunbar, Scotland, has hit back at claims that the site's future is uncertain.
Since the firm announced the closure of one of its bottling plants with redundancies, Unite the union has doubted the future of the kegging and brewing facilities.
"We now have the ridiculous scenario where beer will be brewed in Dunbar, trucked to Bury St Edmonds, bottled and then trucked back to Dunbar," said Unite regional industrial officer Scott Foley. He claimed 20 employees were made redundant without a consultation period. "When a profitable employer takes care of its business like this alarm bells start ringing over their future intentions," he said.
But Greene King insisted that its brewing and kegging facilities, which employ around 170 people, will remain in Dunbar.
Production from the bottling plant in Dunbar is to be shifted to Greene King's plant in Bury St Edmonds from January 2010. The plant's closure will result in the loss of 20 jobs.