CONCERNS have been raised over claims Diageo is avoiding using the furlough scheme but telling workers to take annual leave due to a lack of work.

The Glasgow Times has been told it is "completely unacceptable" workers are having to waste their holidays.

Unite the union previously asked the company to consider operating with fewer staff during the pandemic.

Diageo, which owns brands including Guinness, Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker and Gordon’s gin, has a number of distilleries and bottling operations across Scotland, including a plant at Shieldhall.

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A spokesman said the lockdown has been impacting the firm's operations,which has meant plans have needed to be adjusted and shift patterns are being reviewed weekly.

Three weeks is the minimum length of time an employee can be furloughed under the government's job retention scheme.

A source close to a Diageo worker said: "Diageo refused to furlough their workers as they want to keep them at their beck and call.

"There is little work for them to do so they are now forcing their staff to use their holidays when they don’t need them at work.

"Staff are already anxious that they are working in unsafe conditions and are now being forced to use their annual leave and sit at home during lockdown."

They added: "This is having a huge impact on the mental health and well-being of their staff they are not getting to benefit from their holidays.

"This is completely unacceptable and so unfair on their workers."

Last month, Unite said staffing levels needed to be assessed during the pandemic.

A member of staff had said the Shieldhall plant would be more useful if workers could bottle hand sanitiser instead of whisky. He said he had spent the majority of an eight-hour shift with little to do.

But the Diageo spokesman said: "Widespread containment actions put in place by governments across the globe, including the closure of bars and restaurants, are having a significant impact on the performance of our business.

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"We are tracking changes in consumer behaviour during this time and adjusting our plans and resources in response.

"This includes actively managing our supply chain, to balance production capacity and inventory in line with the current global demand, and working as flexibly as possible with our people by reviewing shift patterns on a weekly basis, to be able to respond to the uncertainty we are facing."

He emphasised the safety and well-being of workers and their families was the "number one priority".

"We would never ask any employee to be in an environment that we believe is not safe for them to do so, nor would we operate any site unless it is responsible and appropriate to do so.

"We have comprehensive safety protocols in place across all our sites in Scotland, including strict social distancing, heightened sanitation measures, and restrictions on movement to and from our sites."