GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK) will be cutting 130 jobs in Dungarvan, Ireland, where it operates two plants, the Irish Independent reports. Forty-eight of those jobs will move to GSK's Panadol production facility in Spain. The jobs will go between now and 2014, the newspaper reports, leaving the facility with somewhat less than 600 staff. It's the biggest employer in that area.
The Waterford plants make over-the-counter drugs, and as part of a companywide cost-cutting agenda, GSK has decided to shrink its operations there, the paper reports. Earlier this year, GSK announced that it would be divesting a selection of consumer brands, including one brand made at the plant, the pain relief product range Solpadeine.
The plant has also been making Panadol brand products, but some of that production will apparently move to Spain, along with those 48 jobs. The Waterford facility will continue to produce several products, including the nicotine patch Niquitin.
"[O]ur aim is to remain focused on the long-term future of the site and ensure that we remain competitive," VP and Site Director Mike Willison told RTE. "GSK will treat employees fairly and with respect and will provide the appropriate support for those leaving the company."
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