Pfizer to cut 50 jobs at local facility
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/05/2012 (5115 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
About 50 positions are scheduled to be cut at the Pfizer plant in Brandon by the end of 2013 after the company reviewed its operations and sought efficiencies, a company spokeswoman said.
“It was the result of looking for efficiencies to ensure the organization is the most competitive and that we use our resources and technology the most effectively,” Pfizer spokeswoman Lisa Ross said. “So as any business does, we routinely review our operations to ensure we are operating in the most efficient way possible.”
The plant employs 130 people, who were informed yesterday of the planned job losses by company officials. The company has pledged to treat the affected employees with respect and will provide transition assistance.
“The final review of specifically what positions (are affected) is underway,” Ross said. “We are not in a position to confirm which positions are affected at this time. We anticipate it will be 50 positions and we should know closer to Q3 or Q4 more specifically what positions are impacted.”
Ross could not confirm whether any of the affected employees would be offered jobs elsewhere in the company, or whether some of those job losses would come from those choosing an early retirement option.
“We want to lessen the impact as much as possible,” Ross said.
The move has no impact on the 26 ranchers who supply raw materials such as pregnant mare urine that are used in the production of premarin, a hormone replacement therapy product primarily consisting of estrogens.
“There are other steps in the process that are produced elsewhere,” Ross said.
Those ranchers are located in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Brandon Chamber of Commerce president Cam Clark said the job losses “have an impact.”
“Obviously this is disappointing news that there will be cutbacks in the technology sector in Brandon,” Clark said. “These tend to be jobs that are highly valued and that has an impact on our community.”
Brandon Mayor Shari Decter Hirst said the job losses are taking place over a longer period of time and because of that, the reduction isn’t as dramatic as it could have been.
“The bottom line is this is a private sector business that’s making business decisions in regards to efficiencies and if it enhances its competitiveness and profitability then that’s not necessarily a bad thing for Brandon,” Decter Hirst said.
“Successful businesses are always better than unsuccessful businesses. They have had some dramatic changes to their business model over the years and they continue to maintain their investment in Brandon. They aren’t cutting back on the amount of product coming into the plant.”
The Brandon plant was set up in 1966 by Wyeth, and was bought by Pfizer in 2009.
» kborkowsky@brandonsun.com