BrewDog's 'Fire and Rehire' Row: Redundant Staff Told to Reapply for Their Own Jobs

From Craft Beer Darling to Employment Controversy

Just when you thought the BrewDog saga couldn't get any messier, redundant staff at the company's Castlegate bar in Aberdeen have reportedly been invited to reapply for their old jobs. Unite the Union has a rather blunt term for it: fire and rehire, plain and simple.

The controversy follows BrewDog's dramatic collapse into administration on 2 March 2026, with US drinks giant Tilray swooping in with a £33 million pre-pack deal to snap up the brewery, global brand rights, and 11 bars. That deal saved 733 jobs, but left 484 workers out in the cold and 38 bars shuttered for good.

A 15-Minute Teams Call Nobody Asked For

The manner of the redundancies has drawn sharp criticism. Staff were reportedly given just 25 minutes' notice before being herded onto a 15-minute Microsoft Teams call to learn their jobs had vanished. No drawn-out consultation. No meaningful warning. Just a brief video call and a door marked "exit."

Employment lawyers at Devonshires have since pointed out that this likely breached collective consultation obligations under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, which requires 45 days' notice when making 100 or more workers redundant. Bryan Simpson, Unite's national hospitality lead, didn't mince words, comparing the whole affair to the P&O Ferries mass dismissal scandal of 2022.

New Jobs or the Same Jobs With a Different Logo?

Here's where it gets properly awkward. Tilray is planning to reopen the Castlegate venue in Aberdeen, and seven new roles have been advertised, including three managerial positions plus bar and floor crew. The catch? These are the very same roles held by people who were just made redundant.

Steven Hill, BrewDog's head of operations, has argued these are genuinely new positions with a separate employer. Tilray is a different company, so technically the roles are new. Unite isn't buying it. Simpson called it fire and rehire, and from the workers' perspective, it's easy to see why. You lose your job on a Tuesday and get asked to interview for it on a Thursday, potentially on worse terms. That's a tough sell no matter how you frame the corporate structure.

The Bigger Picture: How Did We Get Here?

BrewDog's fall has been brewing (sorry) for some time. The company racked up roughly £148 million in pre-tax losses over five years, with its last profitable year being 2019. Reports suggest a £37 million loss in 2025 alone. The craft beer revolution that BrewDog once led simply couldn't keep pace with the company's aggressive expansion and mounting costs.

Then there are the Equity Punks, the 200,000-plus crowdfunding investors who collectively poured over £100 million into the business. They're widely expected to receive nothing from the administration process. For a brand that built its identity on community ownership and punk spirit, that's a particularly bitter pint to swallow.

What Happens Next?

The fire and rehire question is likely to rumble on. With the Employment Rights Act 2025 reforms still working their way through implementation, there's growing political appetite for tighter rules around mass redundancies and consultation obligations. BrewDog's handling of this situation could well become a case study in what not to do.

For the affected workers, the immediate reality is grim. Reports indicate some hadn't been paid for recent weekend shifts, salaried staff were owed February overtime, and accrued holiday pay was effectively written off in the administration. Being told to reapply for your old role, potentially at lower pay, adds insult to a very real financial injury.

Whether Tilray's rebranded positions are genuinely new opportunities or the same jobs with a fresh coat of paint is ultimately a question for employment tribunals to decide. But for 484 people who lost their livelihoods with barely half an hour's warning, the distinction feels rather academic.

Read the original article at source.