Proactive Investors - Unite union has warned that hundreds of jobs could be lost as part of Carlsberg’s £3.3 billion bid to acquire Britvic PLC (LON:BVIC).
The Danish brewer plans to cut approximately 1% of jobs across the combined workforce if the merger proceeds, which could affect hundreds of positions.
Unite urgently requested discussions with Carlsberg (CSE:CARLa) to address the potential impact on UK jobs.
The union is particularly concerned that most of the possible 345 job losses could occur in the UK.
Carlsberg, which has offered 1,315p per share for Britvic, decided to purchase Britvic to bolster its non-alcoholic beverage offerings as part of its "Beyond Beer" strategy.
Britvic’s board has recommended that shareholders accept the deal, with a vote scheduled for August 27.
However, Unite has expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of detailed investment proposals and has called for retention bonuses to be extended to all staff members, not just senior executives.
“Workers must not be the ones to lose out as a result of this acquisition and we would like to see employee numbers grow in accordance with this commitment from Carlsberg to future growth and career opportunities,” the union stated.
Carlsberg has assured that any job reductions will be “will be subject to comprehensive planning and appropriate engagement with stakeholders”.