-
Health Protection Agency
deal could mean a possible net gain in local
jobs
-
GSK confirm their
long-term future in Harlow and announce investment of £24 million
in remaining site
As part of his campaign to
secure local jobs, Bill Rammell MP met with GSK’s Senior Vice
President Patrick Vallance and Vice President of Global Operations
Dr John Keddie on Friday 5th March, with Harlow
Council’s Chief Executive, to urge GSK to retain their remaining
operations in Harlow in the longer term and reaffirm the news that
the Health Protection Agency (HPA) is set to move onto part of
GSK’s existing site, bringing hundreds of new local jobs to the
area.
GSK announced at the
beginning of this month that they would be making redundancies
across the UK and at their Harlow site.
Bill Rammell announced
last week that the HPA was giving strong indications of an imminent
move to part of Harlow’s GSK site, news which came following Bill
Rammell MP’s intervention when he pressed GSK to find alternative
solutions for the site following the announcement of
redundancies.
Mr Rammell immediately
called a further meeting with GSK senior executives to discuss the
deal and seek reassurances for staff facing
redundancy.
GSK has confirmed that
their presence on the remaining Harlow site is secure and that they
have invested £24 million in improvements to the site which will be
completed by the summer.
Bill Rammell MP said: “I
am still very disappointed for the GSK employees who have been made
redundant, but the size and the scale of what the Health Protection
Agency is proposing to bring to Harlow could mean more local jobs
in the longer term and this is a very good result. Initial reports
suggest the number could be in the region of 600 – 800 new jobs and
these are jobs which former GSK staff would be well placed to
benefit from.
Any news of redundancies
also raises concern over a company’s longer-term commitment to an
area so I am very pleased that GSK have confirmed they will retain
a presence in Harlow. I continue to press for reassurances for GSK
staff facing redundancy as this is a very difficult time, but I
will do all I can to ensure that former GSK staff benefit from any
new jobs in Harlow brought by the HPA.”
| 
