Italy. Gsk opens mobility for 60 workers from 16 March. For the most part, these are pharmaceutical informers who operate throughout Italy, but who report to Verona for the type of products marketed, and about twenty other workers that the company is identifying. In particular, Gsk would be willing to market the Stiefel line in a different way (without ISF).
Glaxo cuts, 60 workers on the move
Criticize the unions: "Strange decision after the announcement of investments"
VERONA GlaxoSmithKline is preparing to carry out new cuts in the personnel based in Verona. The announcement was made by the same company to the trade unions, communicating that the mobility procedure for 60 employees will be opened shortly, we are talking about next Monday 16 March. It is, for the most part, about pharmaceutical informants who operate throughout Italy, but who report to Verona for the type of products marketed, and about twenty other workers that the company is identifying. In particular, GSK would be willing to market the Stiefel line, specialized in dermatological products, in a different way and therefore to give up the network of informants that until now followed that type of medicine.
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It is very strange – comments Fabrizio Creston of Femca Cisl Verona – that a company announces that it is making large investments and translates its work into personnel cuts. They have informed us that a reduction in costs is necessary and that for this reason they will go to reorganize the staff. But they will do it through the mobility procedure, because they have opposed other forms".
Gsk, in fact, just last Monday concluded the purchase of the activities dedicated to vaccines from Novartis, with an investment of 5.25 billion dollars: the Novartis headquarters in Siena passed to Gsk and, just to check if there are any problems employment, tomorrow the union organizations will meet in Bologna. What emerges are the concerns about the future of the Verona headquarters which, probably, will become the headquarters of GSK in Italy, but which seems destined to lose its productive and industrial function.
«We notice the company's constant disengagement from the Verona site – analyzes Dennis Gambillara of Uiltec Verona – so much so that we have strong doubts about the role of our center for the future. What we are asking the company is a clear industrial plan from GSK in Italy and in Verona». The fact that, in our city, there is a concentration of "mature" productions, such as that of cephalosporins, does not help either. «In addition - underlines Luigi Santoni of Filtea CGIL Verona - we find ourselves having to face a reduction in personnel every year. The Verona site is becoming impoverished, the number of informants linked to the medicines produced here is reduced and the company is not available to discuss alternative tools to mobility».
GSK fires more than 100 workers (ISF) in China for misconduct as a result of the corruption scandal
Fired employees contest GSK decision; threaten legal action
March 9, 2015 | By Carly Helfand | Fierce Pharma
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK $) is using the broom, once again, to clean up its culpability in China. It has 'fired more than 100 employees for misconduct in part for what it calls a 'zero tolerance' approach - but the fired workers are not into it.
After ramping up its tracking of expense claims, ramping up its enforcement efforts, and taking the matter to a law firm and outside counsel to review its operations in China, the pharmaceutical giant has taken "disciplinary action against employees whose behavior violated GSK's values and the Corporate Governance Code,” reads a statement released to FiercePharmaAsia. Those breaches took place before mid-2013, when Chinese officials slammed the company with bribery charges totaling $ 489 million.
But the laid-off employees plan to protest the measure, according to a statement seen on Bloomberg. Former employees contest the decision of the British pharmaceutical company, and a worker told the press that about half of them intend to complain to the Chinese labor authorities.
In a statement, according to them, Glaxo acted without "producing any evidence of policy violations to employees," and they are not offering "any compensation or reasonable notice." On their agenda: seek compensation deals with the company, get their jobs back, and mend their reputation.
It's not the first round of GSK sackings since the bribery scandal – and it's not the first time such sackings have sparked protest. Last July, a trio of former staffers sued the company over so-called wrongful termination, demanding two months' salary for every year they worked at Glaxo. One of the key players said GSK had encouraged some Chinese employees to quit in the wake of the scandal and threatened others with contract terminations and bad references.
But, as CEO, Andrew Witty works to get the boat right in China – and repair GSK's tarnished reputation, following a string of other corruption allegations in the Middle East and elsewhere – and the company is steadfast in its stance against the bad guys. behaviors.
“Regardless of the scale of judgment, we will not tolerate misconduct,” he said in a statement. “When evidence of misconduct is found, we take appropriate disciplinary action up to and including termination.”
The bitter awakening after the season of big acquisitions
It is well known that a large acquisition is followed by a process of integration of the acquired company and it is equally well known that very often this involves heavy cuts in personnel. However, few have underlined this in recent months when mega acquisitions have been completed in the pharmaceutical sector which could also lead to massive layoffs in R&D. Two days ago, MSD announced it would fire 120 researchers from the acquired Cubist. The British GlaxoSmithKline has a cost reduction program underway that also considers the process of integrating the vaccine division acquired from Novartis. The program aims for a £1 billion cut and 900 jobs. The other party involved in the exchange, the Swiss Novartis, has also begun a 1.6 billion dollar cost reduction program that will also involve 7,000 employees who will see the transfer from one company to another. The asset swap between GSK and Novartis has been valued at $20 billion and is set to significantly contribute to changing the European pharmaceutical landscape.
Tough times for GSK CEO, salary and benefits package cut by 56%
Andrew Witty saw his remuneration package reduced by 56% in 2014 compared to 2013. Indeed, the total amount received by the CEO of GlaxoSmithKline in 2014 was £3.9 million, far below that received the previous year (£7.2 m).
The reason lies in the fact that 2014 was a very difficult year for the GSK group and this strongly influenced the shareholders' assessment of the board's performance. Among the major points of dissatisfaction of shareholders there are certainly the sales performance of Advair, which in the US sold 10% less than expected, and this forced GSK to adjust sales prices downwards in order to maintain the market share share.
Advair's disappointing results also forced a new $$1.6bn cost-cutting program and with it the layoff of 900 North Carolina R&D and sales network employees. The current year will probably be even more difficult for Andrew Witty, as he will have to manage the integration of the vaccine division he has just received from Novartis in exchange for the oncology sector and the establishment of a joint venture in the Consumer Health sector.
(Source Bloomberg)
