FIRST Minister Alex Salmond was today accused of �snoozing on his watch� over the announcement that drinks giant Diageo is to shed 900 jobs.

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond was today accused of "snoozing on his watch" over the announcement that drinks giant Diageo is to shed 900 jobs.

As first revealed in last night's Evening Times, the company's main packaging plant in Kilmarnock and a grain whisky distillery in Port Dundas, Glasgow, are to close.

Today, Kilmarnock and Loudoun MP Des Browne attacked the firm and Mr Salmond, who will meet with Diageo executives today.

Mr Browne said: "Diageo's decision has got little, if anything, to do with a recession.

"It is clear from the firm's own press release that this is a long-term restructuring plan. It is designed to boost their profits at the expense of their staff.

"Ten years ago, working with Brian Wilson in the Scottish Office, the then leader of the Labour council and the local workforce and Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire, we fought a similar proposal and won.

"Then, the relationship between the political leadership of Scotland and one of its most important industries was one of trust and partnership but now the First Minister has been caught snoozing on his watch.

"The First Minister found out about this only hours before it happened ... even though Diageo had been talking to Scottish Enterprise for some time, as I understand.

"Does Scottish Enterprise not talk to the First Minister? If he has no relationship of trust with the whisky trade, where does he stand with the rest?"

The Kilmarnock packing plant, which employs 700 and is and is scheduled to close in 2011, is in the Ayrshire constituency of ex-defence and Scottish Secretary Mr Browne.

And Diageo bosses today admitted that Johnnie Walker whisky bottle labels will need to be changed after the closure announcement which will end a 189-year association with the town.

Johnnie Walker was established in Kilmarnock in 1820 by founder John Walker and has maintained links with the town ever since, as is stated on labelling.

Now the firm said this would be altered.

The announcement of a restructure of its Scottish operations will also mark the closure of Diageo's historic distillery and cooperage casking site at Port Dundas with the loss of around 140 jobs.

The distillery, which dates back to 1810, falls within the Glasgow North East constituency where a by-election is looming after the former Commons Speaker Michael Martin quit.

Founded in 1810, the distillery is based on a 21-acre site, which supplies grain spirit for Diageo's portfolio, providing around 39million litres of alcohol each year.

Its neighbouring Dundashill cooperage was founded in 1770 by John Harvey, originally as a distillery. It is hoped some of the staff here can transfer to a new cooperage in Central Scotland.

Diageo has now said of the site: "redevelopment must always be an option".

The distillery handles grain for whiskies including Bell's and Johnnie Walker which claims to be the world's top selling Scotch whisky, selling in more than 180 countries around the globe,with 16.3m cases sold each year.It has been created and bottled in various sites across Scotland.

Around 80% of the brand's volume is bottled at Diageo's Shieldhall packaging plant in Glasgow.

Diageo is also the group behind brands including Guinness and Smirnoff.

Changes at its Shieldhall plant will also lead to 30 job losses and the group is relocating around 80 office-based staff from Dundas House in Glasgow to another location in central Scotland.

Scotland is one of Diageo's largest spirit supply centres.

There is currently a workforce around 4500 people across the country and the firm hopes to save £40m a year from the changes.

Finance Secretary John Swinney said yesterday: "We note there will be no compulsory redundancies for 12 months ... a pledge we want the company to guarantee."

A spokesman for the First Minister described Mr Browne's comments as a "cheap political shot" and he added: "It beggars belief that Des Browne would launch such an unwarranted attack.

"It is the UK Government that controls the economic levers and responsibilities that are essential to ensuring that Scotland moves out of the economic recession as quickly as possible."

Blow will create 'Ghost town'

CLOSURE of the Johnnie Walker plant could turn Kilmarnock - already hit hard by years of closures - into a "ghost town" it is claimed.

For many of the workers at the plant, which packages the famous brand carrying the motto 'still going strong', it is a symbolic loss of one of the community's last remaining beacons of industry.

Those workers who lingered at the plant yesterday afternoon taking in the devastating news were unequivocal in their contempt.

One furious couple were too upset to discuss the news.

As workers entered the plant over the years they were greeted by two flagpoles and a sign at the entrance, proudly proclaiming the Ayrshire town's right to consider itself on the world stage: a Diageo Global Supply - Kilmarnock' advertisement.

Passers-by stopped to gaze at the factory's closed gates yesterday afternoon, and many were forced to consider the impact of the closure.

Passers-by, including Nanette Bruce, co-owner of local firm TOA Taxis, warned the loss would "turn Kilmarnock into a ghost town".

"It's going to cost us a fortune," she said. "We do a lot of account work for them, and the closure will affect every industry not that there's any industry left around here."

Bill Stewart, an engineering assessor at Kilmarnock College, said Diageo had long been one of the main employers of apprentices in town.

"Johnnie Walker takes in three or four of our students every year," he said. "It's the biggest employer in the area. Some people have been here all their lives."

The closure will even have a knock-on effect for charity. Staff and visitors to the plant had so far raised £6000 for Children 1st, a sign stated, and they were aiming for many thousands pounds more in fundraising.

Diageo's managing director, Bryan Donaghey, said he was not blind to the havoc the closure will wreak, but he maintained it was a necessary business decision to ensure the company's long-term prosperity.

He said: "There's a long association between Johnnie Walker and the west of Scotland, and this is a sad day.

"We recognise it's a terrible loss for the town.

"We're a big employer, but there's also a strong emotional attachment."

Though Kilmarnock will bear the brunt of the losses, with around 700 jobs going from the town by 2011, employees in Glasgow will also feel the heat of Diageo's restructuring zeal.

However, it may be of little consolation to those joining the dole queue, but other areas of Scotland will benefit from Diageo's restructuring.

About 400 new jobs will be created in Fife, thanks mainly to an £86million expansion plan at the firm's facility in Leven.