UNIONS are due to meet brewery bosses next week for talks on the future of 170 jobs at the Federation Brewery, near the Gateshead MetroCentre.
About 110 jobs are due to be lost if members of the Federation Brewery vote in favour of a merger with Scottish & Newcastle (S&N), brewers of Newcastle Brown Ale.
But unions want reassurance about another 170 jobs, including IT specialists, personnel and dray people, which they fear could be at risk.
The GMB, Apex and Amicus unions will meet bosses from Scottish Courage - a subsidiary of S&N - next week.
Eric Wilkinson, employee and Apex branch secretary, said: "We have been given a commitment that Scottish Courage will negotiate with us and we look forward to open, honest and meaningful discussion with the new employer in an attempt to retain existing Federation jobs within the new business."
Scottish Courage, which intends to close the Tyne Brewery next spring, hopes the bulk of the first wave of redundancies will be voluntary.
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