Pfizer is prepping behind the scenes to transfer its IT work to overseas contractors, according to a report in The Day newspaper. The drugmaker has been training foreign workers in its Groton and New London facilities over the past few months to get ready for the transition. The sources who tipped the newspaper to the plan asked not to be identified, but admitted that they were leaking the info in hopes that Pfizer would change its mind.
And if Connecticut politicians have their way, the drugmaker just might. Sen. Chris Dodd and Congressional Rep. Joe Courtney appealed directly to CEO Jeff Kindler (photo) to reconsider the move. The lawmakers worry that Proposition 117, as the plan is dubbed internally, would boot out local contractors that have been working at Pfizer for years. "[A]ny reorganization that would result in the loss of jobs for local workers would be troubling," Dodd and Courtney wrote to Kindler, "and we would urge you in the strongest terms to reconsider any such action."
The company issued a statement saying that the company must "look for efficiencies ... which include the use of contract workers." The statement went on to emphasize Pfizer's "strong commitment" to its presence in the area. But Dodd and Courtney want more info: They're asking Kindler to disclose how many local contractors would lose out. And they question why Pfizer has to bring in low-wage outsiders. "If skilled workers are already available for these jobs locally," the two asked in their letter, "why does Pfizer find it necessary to hire workers from abroad?"
- read the story in The Day
- check out the Pharmalot post