Up to 1200 GSK employees in Belgium could lose their jobs as the company looks to cut costs. In response to the plan, trade union members have launched strike action at GSK’s sites in Wavre and Rixensart, according to local news reports.
The cuts are part of GSK’s strategy to ‘accelerate growth’, first outlined in July, which includes a plan to move its UK headquarters from Stevenage to a new building in Cambridge. The company is targeting annual cost reductions of £1.9 billion, with the aim of reinvesting that money in its late-stage pipeline.
GSK’s three Belgian sites employ around 8500 people, including 1800 scientists, focused primarily on vaccines. Wavre hosts the global vaccine division headquarters and manufacturing site, vaccine R&D is in Rixensart, along with a vaccine storage and distribution hub in Gembloux, built in 2024.
