Workers at Manchester's Boddingtons brewery are meeting union officials to discuss plans to cut 68 jobs.

Managers at parent company Interbrew also intend to transfer 86% of production away from the brewery in the Strangeways area of the city.

Interbew - which is based in Belgium - said the Manchester site will concentrate on cask ales while other work will be moved to other plants.

But the Transport and General Workers Union said the plans would damage the brand - which has marketed itself as "The Cream of Manchester".

Ship canal

Manchester has always played a prominent role in the advertising of Boddingtons.

One famous example featured Mancunians sipping a pint while travelling in gondolas along the Manchester Ship Canal.

But the TGWU said that connection would be lost once the majority of production was moved out of the city.

Interbrew's proposals would mean just one-and-a-half days work a week at the Manchester brewery.

The firm has said none of the job losses will occur before February 2003.

It said it would offer workers all possible support to minimise compulsory redundancies, including relocation where possible.