On Wednesday morning, Novartis, a renowned Swiss pharmaceutical company, will convene a special works council at its Puurs facility. The Christian trade union ACV has confirmed this meeting, with approximately 1,160 employees currently working at the Puurs site.
The ACV highlights that the Puurs production site has been a “leading” hub for many years, largely due to its association with Alcon, a former subsidiary of Novartis. In 2019, Alcon became an autonomous entity, focusing on manufacturing surgical packages for eye operations in Belgium. This allows hospitals and doctors to customize thier surgical kits. Last summer, Alcon made a significant investment of 35 million euros in the country.
Despite the spin-off in 2019, the move raised concerns among the unions. In 2022, Novartis unveiled a global restructuring plan, which, resulted in the loss of only a few dozen jobs in Flanders.
The special works council is expected to conclude by noon on Wednesday.
