Actavis to axe 200 jobs by 2018, government to find workers alternative employment

Actavis will be reducing its workforce as part of a consolidation exercise

Pharmaceutical company Actavis will lay off 200 employees over the next two years but the government will be finding them alternative employment, it was announced yesterday.

Economy Minister Chris Cardona and Employment Minister Evarist Bartolo said Actavis will be reducing its workforce as part of a consolidation exercise after it was acquired by Teva in August of this year.

Actavis operates in Ħal Far and Bulebel and currently employs more than 700 people and intends to cut down the number to 500.

The ministers said the government has appointed a task force to identify alternate employment and many vacancies in the pharmaceutical field have been identified.

Jobsplus CEO Clyde Caruana said the workers will be offered employment in a number of other companies in the private sector.

Employees were being informed at the same time that the press conference was being held. The redundancy process will last until 2018 but it was explained that at least 175 of the 200 workers that will be laid off will be in new jobs by 2017.