Pharma giant GSK cuts 400 Belgian jobs in a year
British pharmaceutical giant GSK, which employs more than 8,500 people in Belgium, cut more than 400 jobs in the country last year, L’Echo reports. This was mainly achieved by not renewing temporary contracts and through voluntary departures.
At the end of November, GSK Belgium, which has offices in Wavre, Rixensart and Gembloux, had 8,544 employees, based on documents seen by L’Echo. A total of 411 were cut in the preceding year, its lowest level since 2016. Only the loss of 50 jobs at a site in Gembloux was publicly reported.
To implement the downsizing and avoid having to apply the Renault law on collective redundancies, GSK Belgium uses voluntary redundancy programmes. The most recent was accepted by around 70 people.
The company has also adjusted its recruitment policy, with very few permanent contracts being signed. There are 543 positions available globally on the GSK website, 40 of which are at Wavre. Most are internships and replacement or temporary contracts.
Activities at the Rixensart site are declining, and the production of vaccines against malaria and hepatitis B has been or is being discontinued.
The company denies that reduced investment in the Belgian sites is the reason for the workforce reduction. “Our site in Wavre is the largest vaccine production site in the world and benefits from an annual investment of around 300 million euro to modernise it and integrate advanced technologies,” a spokesperson said.
Europe’s status as a leader in the sector is under threat, as the US is becoming an increasingly popular region for producers. In September, GSK announced a future investment of 30 billion dollars in the US, notably for the construction of a production site in Pennsylvania.
Pharmaceutical products from the EU are currently subject to a 15 per cent import duty in the US.
A GSK employee at the factory in Wavre, where CureVac Covid-19 vaccine was produced, February 2021 © PHOTO KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP
Related news
