Pfizer to retain an extra 300 jobs at Sandwich site
pharmafile | November 8, 2011 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Research and Development | Jobs, Pfizer, Sandwich
Pfizer will now keep up to 650 jobs at its R&D site in Sandwich, Kent, according to news reports.
The firm announced the site’s closure in February this year and was set to retain only 350 out of 2,400 jobs at Sandwich, but this is now expected to be closer to 650.
The news comes after the ending of a consultation period on the proposals last week.
About 800 staff have already left their posts at the Sandwich site, with a further 700 still to go by the end of 2012.
This means that 1,500 staff have now been made redundant with 900 jobs being retained, and 650 of those are now thought to be staying at Sandwich.
The remaining staff will be relocated to Pfizer’s other UK sites in Cambridge and Surrey.
The Sandwich site was recently designated as a ‘Discovery Park’ to try and attract businesses to the area once Pfizer has left the site, but the firm recently said it would keep a larger presence in the Park in order to attract wider investment.
Dr Annette Doherty, the new head of research and site leader, told the BBC that: “Pfizer has made the decision to remain here for the future.”
She said the jobs being retained in Sandwich were ‘critical functions’ for the research and development of projects.
“We hope there will be many other scientific companies that are also here with us and that there’s a diverse set of businesses here at Discovery Park in the future.”
She added that staff would be located in three different buildings on the site, which would be leased from the future owner.
Ben Adams
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