The Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis is planning a wave of collective layoffs at its Puurs site.
The Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis is planning a wave of collective layoffs at its Puurs site. The announcement was made Wednesday afternoon during the extraordinary works council, convened by the company on Tuesday, reports the Gazet Van Antwerpen. In Puurs, Novartis employs 1,160 people, but the exact number of positions that will be eliminated remains to be determined.
Gina Volkaert, spokesperson for Novartis, arrived at the Puurs site around noon according to the Flemish daily. She hopes that the extraordinary works council will be able to draw its conclusions quickly. “The Renault law applies in this process,” she clarified. This law imposes a specific framework for collective dismissals, including steps to follow and mandatory consultations.
8,000 positions eliminated in 2022
In 2022, Novartis had already announced a major restructuring, with the elimination of 8,000 positions worldwide. In Belgium, 47 jobs were lost on this occasion.
According to the ACV union, the Puurs production site has long been “a reference site”, in particular thanks to the former Novartis subsidiary, Alcon. In 2019, Alcon was split to become a listed and independent company, reports Gazet Van Antwerpen. In Belgium, Alcon specializes in the manufacture of surgical kits for eye operations, which hospitals and doctors can put together themselves. Last summer, Alcon invested another 35 million euros in the country.
