DIAGEO'S NEW DEAL; Plant gets 6 month stay of execution: Redundancy terms to be boosted.

Byline: Craig McDonald

JOHNNIE Walker's closure-hit bottling plant has been given a six-month stay of execution, the Record can reveal. The factory in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, is now scheduled to shut in May 2012.

An insider at parent company Diageo also said there would be no compulsory redundancies at the factory until next October.

Our source said: "The new closure date means workers will at least get a little bit more in pension contributions - but that's little comfort to people who've worked hard for years and been rewarded with the loss of their jobs."

Bonuses The insider also revealed terms on offer to axed workers, including voluntary redundancy packages worth about five times the value of statutory payouts.

And the company will pay bonuses of up to pounds 7500 for those who serve right up to the point of closure.

Diageo confirmed last month they were going ahead with plans to close the bottling plant and the Port Dundas distillery in Glasgow, hitting 900 workers.

They are to press on with the move despite an alternative business plan drawn up by Unite, which the union says would save money and jobs.

A special group of company bosses met last week to discuss their latest tactics over the closures.

An agreement covering workers in the union means none will be made compulsorily redundant for 12 months. The company have also removed a two-year cap in a bid to maximise the number of volunteers.

The source said: "New full-time permanent jobs will be created at Leven and workers at Kilmarnock and Port Dundas will be supported in