AstraZeneca to axe 700 jobs in the UK

AstraZenca’s announced today that they might close down their Cheshire based research and development facility.

14:02 20 March 2013

Pharmaceutical giant AstraZenca has announced today their global restructuring plan that is most likely to include the closure of its Cheshire based research and development facility at Alderley Park. The company is also cutting 700 jobs in the UK, most of them in George’s Osborne’s Tatton constituency.

Two years before, another giant pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, closed down their Sandwich R&D facility. Because of this, it seems that the Coalition’s ambition to lead world in Pharma has become even more unachievable.

The part-British part-Swedish firm also confirmed that the total number of job losses could reach 1,600 worldwide as they move to overhaul their R&D operations in US, Britain, and Sweden.

AstraZeneca tried to soften the blow by announcing £330million investment in its R&D site in Cambridge but unions were clearly not happy.

Unite's national officer Linda McCulloch said: "Staff will be shell-shocked by this announcement. AstraZeneca's decision to relocate over a thousand jobs to Cambridge is a massive blow for the North-west.

“The region desperately needs this highly skilled workforce – they make a huge contribution to the economy and to the community."