SAINT JOHN, NB – CBC News reports that the layoffs planned for nearly half of the hourly production staff at the Moosehead Breweries Saint John facility this summer have been postponed by at least three months.
As announced last autumn, the brewery was set to lay off around 70 employees this June due to the loss of brewing and packaging contract with an international brewing company.
While not named by Moosehead, CBC learned at the time of the announcement that the company is Guinness, which currently has Guinness Extra Stout brewed at Moosehead for the American market, but will be moving production to its main brewery in Dublin.
However, this move has been delayed for undisclosed reasons, and the staff will therefore be retained until September, and perhaps longer depending on the length of the contract extension.
The article also notes that “Moosehead is working with the provincial government to provide support programs for those who will be laid off, including re-employment counselling, retraining, financial planning and job-search assistance.”