Belgian pharmaceutical group UCB, which employs around 10,000 workers in Belgium and the UK, announced plans Tuesday to cut about 2% of its workforce, as part of the tail-end of a restructuring program known as SHAPE. The program has already slashed about 2,000 jobs this year. UCB plans to make the cuts as part of a streamlining process in its drug, administrative, and support service divisions, eliminating redundancies and narrowing its focus to only a few key drugs. 174 positions face layoffs at the Braine-l'Alleud plant in Belgium, and around 50 positions are in limbo at Great Britain's Slough location. Both sites have been informed that cuts are pending.
See "UCB plans to cut around 2 percent of workforce", Philip Blenkinsop, Reuters, November 16, 2009