Last updated at 13:19, Friday, 29 August 2008

WORKERS at an Ulverston drugs factory have been told that no jobs will be saved from the axe.

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GlaxoSmithKline bosses at the North Lonsdale Road plant in Ulverston have said no to an alternative business plan, which workers believe would save 55 of the 330 jobs set to be cut.

Glaxo announced in February it was cutting the workforce by 330 – from 540 down to 210 – over two years, to make savings that will help keep the factory’s antibiotics competitive in the world market. It said it would buy in more ingredients instead of making them in Ulverston.

John Clough, the senior Unite union official at the site, said the workforce plan had not taken into account plans by Glaxo to buy in a further ingredient, TCAI, for its tablet powders, and had not calculated the cost of reopening a site effluent disposal plant that would be needed.

He said: “The management took the consultation process seriously, but we were disappointed that they discounted it. You have always got this feeling that the company has already dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s before they come to you with their proposal.

“Our proposal would have saved the plant £18m, but saved 50 to 60 jobs. The saving was only £6m less than their own plan, which saves £24m.”

He added: “We are not letting go. We are taking it to John Hutton and hopefully he can get into the company at a higher level.”

Glaxo spokesman, Steve Bowe, said: “After announcing the business proposal during March 2008 to reduce the workforce at Ulverston to 210 employees, GSK invited staff to submit an alternative proposal as part of the consultation.

“After involving staff for ideas, representatives submitted an initial alternative proposal during June and a joint management and representative team was established to examine the proposal in some detail. If implemented, the proposal would have required an establishment of 265 employees.”

He added: “The company evaluated the alternative proposal consistent with the criteria used for its own proposal and concluded that it did not offer a viable alternative and this was communicated to the representatives.”

Glaxo said 180 staff have applied for voluntary redundancy and 50 staff have been issued with employment release letters.

First published at 12:05, Friday, 29 August 2008
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk