Press Conference
T and G join forces with CAMRA and Manchester City Council to save Boddingtons in Manchester, Tuesday 26th October 11.00am Room 301, Manchester Town Hall, Albert Square, M60 2LA
The campaign to stop the closure of the historic Boddingtons brewery at Strangeways in Manchester will take a significant leap forward next week when the Transport and General Workers Union, the UK's largest trade union in the brewing industry which represents the sixty Manchester workers whose jobs are under threat, joins forces with the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and Manchester City Council.
A press conference at Manchester Town Hall has been organised for
11.00am on Tuesday 26th October to detail plans. It is anticipated that the Manchester Town Crier will be ringing in the briefing. Union representatives will spell out how the industrial campaign is progressing, including a formal announcement of the result of the ballot for strike action.
The CAMRA leaders will be stressing the importance of maintaining robust brands at a time of concentration by the big brewers, such as InBev, who are looking to close the Manchester site. Manchester City Council representatives, including the Leader Councillor Richard Leese, are expected to lend their weight to the campaign by stressing the historic links between Boddingtons and the city.
The T and G emphasised that since the last threat of closure in 2002, the Boddingtons brand has grown by 4 percent contributing to GBP 16.5m profits. On the basis of this growth the union and CAMRA will stress that the closure decision is, therefore, all about cynical corporate greed by realising the land value of the site.
Reporters, camera crews and photographers are welcome to attend the press conference which will be held in Room 301 of the Town Hall. Individual interviews will be held at the conclusion of the main briefing.
ENDS For further information, please contact: T and G: Andrew Dodgshon on 020 7611 2550 or 07976 832156; CAMRA: Tony Jerome on 01727 867201; Manchester City Council: Roger Williams on 0161 234 3275