THIRTY-NINE jobs are at risk at the Lucozade Ribena Suntory (LRS) plant in Coleford, the Review has learned.

The affected workers are all part of the Ribena carton business. According to manufacturing site director Mick Pedder, the company proposes to transfer carton production to Refresco Beverages in Bridgwater subject to internal consultation and agreement with Refresco.

A worker at the plant, who doesn’t want to be named, told us: “There’s talk of closing the department and stopping all Ribena carton production at the site by the end of the year with job losses of some of the most loyal and long standing operators.”

Mr Pedder said: “The future welfare of our cartons team is paramount to us and we are absolutely committed to treating them fairly, compassionately and with respect. We will be consulting on the proposal and possible options for employees if we proceed with the proposal, which may include transferring to Refresco or exploring alternative roles within LRS. We will be consulting with the employees’ representatives (including the union) and with impacted individuals.

“There is no specific timeframe for the consultation process to be

completed and it is important to us to engage in a thorough consultation process, while at the same time seeking to minimise the period of uncertainty for the affected employees.”