This investment should mainly be used to develop the expertise of the Puurs site, not only for Novartis medicines, but also for the development of products from other companies. According to the ACV (CSC), the Puurs production site has long been a “leader” in its field, in particular because of Alcon, a former subsidiary of Novartis. The company, which specializes in manufacturing surgical kits for eye operations, was split in 2019.
However, “the Puurs site must adapt to decreasing volumes within the ophthalmology product portfolio as well as reduced effectiveness caused by external factors,” said the Novartis spokesperson. “These factors lead to increased unit costs.”
The unions and management have already started the information and consultation phase on Wednesday, in accordance with the Renault law on collective redundancies.
“We are committed to working closely with our social partners in a constructive and transparent dialogue,” promises Novartis. “We will keep our employees informed every step of the way. We will do everything we can to save some jobs. We will also support our employees with their mental health and well-being during this period of uncertainty.”
On the union side, the announcements of job cuts and investments provide a very mixed feeling. The investment is viewed favorably, but it is a hardship on the dismissed workers. “Nearly 200 people is a significant number,” regrets Paul Schoeters (ACV). “It is not yet completely clear which profiles are involved, how many workers or employees are involved and in which departments.”
As for the investment, the union leader sees it as a positive signal, especially since the management of the Puurs site is quite recent. Since the end of November, Wouter Keymeulen has been at the head of Novartis in Puurs, he who was a former director of the biopharmaceutical company Galapagos. “Investment will be necessary to cope with the expected drops in volume,” underlines Paul Schoeters. “We want more production here, because ultimately they still believe in the future of the site.”
For his part, Danny Absillis, of the socialist union ABVV, recalls that the Novartis group is profitable, which makes the layoffs all the less acceptable. Believing that management has “missed opportunities in recent years”, he intends to give the new management a chance to do things differently.
Around 1,160 people work for Novartis at the Puurs site. In Belgium, the Basel-based company employs a total of 1,750 workers.
