Brewdog has been criticised for asking staff to reapply for their jobs,  in what a union has described as a "fire and rehire" scheme.

Workers at Glasgow's Merchant City bar were emailed by the company's head of operations inviting them to apply for a number of posts.

Unite the union said it was a "blatant attempt to strip workers of their rights" and called on the new owners to rethink the move.

Brewdog's brewery and 11 bars were bought by US firm Tilray for £33m after it went into administration in a deal which also saw 38 pubs close and 484 staff made redundant.

In an email, seen by BBC Scotland News, Brewdog's head of operations Steven Hill said Tilray Brands UK was "now working towards reopening a small number of additional bars".

It is understood these include Merchant City, Glasgow, and Castlegate, Aberdeen.

As a result of this development, Hill added the company was now "building new teams".

But Bryan Simpson, Unite's national lead on hospitality, condemned the move.

He said: "This is fire and rehire, plain and simple - and it is morally reprehensible and, in our view, unlawful.

"This is a blatant attempt to strip workers of their rights and force them to compete for work they should still be in."

Simpson told BBC Scotland News the union now planned to take legal action against the company.

He added: "These workers built these venues. To sack them and then invite them back on potentially worse terms is an abuse of power.

"We are calling on Brewdog's new operators to halt this process immediately and reinstate workers with their full rights intact."

Simpson said the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 protects workers when venues reopen in the same location and staff should be transferred into the new roles.

BBC Scotland News has approached Brewdog, Tilray and AlixPartners for comment.

Hill's email, sent to staff at the Merchant City venue, said: "We recognise that the last few weeks have been incredibly difficult and will have had a real impact on you and your colleagues.

"We appreciate that you may have strong feelings about what has happened and we fully respect that you may not wish to engage further."

It added former staff were being contacted given their "previous connection with the bar".

The available positions include general manager and kitchen crew.

On Friday the Press and Journal newspaper reported an identical email had been sent to staff at the Castlegate venue in Aberdeen.

Brewdog was put up for sale in February after appointing consultants AlixPartners, who also acted as administrators.

AlixPartners said there had been "significant interest" in the company but that it had not received any offer which would have preserved Brewdog in its entirety.

US beverage and medical cannabis company Tilray bought the company's UK brewing operations, brand and 11 of its pubs.

Brewdog, which was founded by friends James Watt and Martin Dickie in 2007, had breweries and pubs around the globe, including about 60 in the the UK.

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