UPDATE: A spokesperson from parent company Lion has steadfastly denied the claims made in the media today, insisting that the plant is, in actual fact, hiring more people.
The company issued a statement a short time ago that reads as follows:
“These claims are false – there are no job losses and no plans to close the brewery. XXXX is actually hiring five more permanent people right now and there will be offers to increase pay on the table on top of the best pay and working conditions in brewing in Queensland.”“We simply want to the ability bring on additional people in Summer when we brew more beer. This is how every other seasonal manufacturer operates, but our current agreement is confusing and prohibitive.”
EARLIER: For the love of god, hug your nearest Queenslander immediately. Get them to sit down. Fetch them a blanket and a cup of tea. Poor your friends together to bring them dinner for the next week or so. They’re gonna need our love and support now more than ever.
Brisbane‘s iconic and irreplaceable XXXX Brewery is reportedly on the verge of closure as a labour dispute with the brewery’s parent company reaches a point of no return.
Workers at the Castlemaine Perkins facility had, according to reports, been threatened with plant closure by parent company Lion back in June. Union representatives had repeatedly pushed back against management’s desire to shift from permanent workers to a contract and casual-based workforce.
Union rep Damien Davie spoke to AAP today and confirmed the future of the brewery is in grave doubt.
“The continued push to bring in labour-hire employees and casualise the workforce is the main reason cited by management when threatening workers with closing the plant.”
“A large proportion of XXXX is now made at the Tooheys Brewery in Lidcombe, Western Sydney. XXXX Gold is also made at West End in South Australia and in some circumstances even at the Boag’s Brewery in Tasmania.”
Speculation of brewery closure also coincides with XXXX‘s last State of Origin game as sponsor of the Maroons this coming Wednesday.
The Castlemaine Perkins brewery opened and began operation back in 1878, and has been operating continuously ever since. The then-Lion Nathan organisation acquired the company back in 1992.
While the supply of XXXX into Queensland is not expected to be interrupted by any potential plant closure, but culturally-speaking the brewery is as much a part of Brisbane as anything else.
Taking XXXX production out of QLD is like putting Alfie Langer in a Blues jumper. It ain’t fucken right. The mangoes must always come from Milton.
THE MANGOES MUST *ALWAYS* COME FROM MILTON.
Source: Courier Mail.
Photo: retrometropaddington/Instagram.
