As many as 1200 GSK workers in Belgium may face job losses as the firm seeks to reduce expenses. In reaction to this initiative, union representatives have initiated strike actions at GSK’s locations in Wavre and Rixensart, according to local media reports.
These layoffs are part of GSK’s plan to ‘boost growth’, initially presented in July, which includes relocating its UK headquarters from Stevenage to a new facility in Cambridge. The corporation aims for annual cost savings of £1.9 billion, intending to reinvest those funds into its later-stage pipeline.
GSK’s three sites in Belgium employ roughly 8500 individuals, among them 1800 researchers, primarily concentrating on vaccines. Wavre serves as the headquarters and manufacturing site for the global vaccine division, while vaccine research and development occur in Rixensart, alongside a vaccine storage and distribution facility in Gembloux, established in 2024.