The Czech Republic: SABMiller’s Czech subsidiary planning to cut 182 jobs primarily in sales and distribution

SABMiller’s Czech subsidiary, Plzensky Prazdroj, plans to cut jobs as it seeks to restructure amid falling domestic beer sales.

Plzensky Prazdroj will cut 182 jobs, primarily in sales and distribution, the brewer said late last week. However, the group will create another 80 jobs as part of the restructure and these jobs will be initially offered to those being made redundant.

The company’s spokesman, Jirí Marecek, said: “Consumption of beer in this country has, due to economic recession and higher excise duty, been falling for some time now." The last straw, he said, was cold weather in July.

The first 36 workers will be handed notice during September, the brewer said, with all redundancy notices to be handed out by the end of October. Plzensky Prazdroj has at present approximately 2,300 employees.

14 September, 2011