GSK Plans to Close Its Vaccine Plant in Dresden
Site to Be Closed by 2028 – IGBCE Vows to Fight Back
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The pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) plans to close its vaccine plant in Dresden. Employees were informed of the plans on November 10, 2026. As a result, approximately 641 jobs are at risk by 2028. The works council and the IGBCE union oppose the closure plans and have announced their firm resistance.
The GSK vaccine plant in Dresden has been producing vaccines for the global market for decades, including seasonal and pandemic flu vaccines. The closure threatens to deprive Saxony of highly skilled industrial jobs and Germany of important pharmaceutical manufacturing expertise.
Stephanie Albrecht-Suliak, Regional Director of IGBCE Northeast: “What is happening in Dresden is not an isolated case. Throughout our entire Northeast regional district, we are witnessing industrial structures crumbling. GSK is bound by collective bargaining agreements—specifically, the regional collective bargaining agreement for the chemical industry. This makes it all the more outrageous that this decision and the way it was carried out have nothing to do with genuine social partnership. These are Wild West tactics. Not like this!
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers have been talking about security of supply. At the same time, they’re allowing procurement decisions to prioritize the lowest price over domestic production, expertise, and jobs. Those who want industrial sovereignty must also secure it politically. The federal government and the Free State of Saxony must act now and bring GSK to the negotiating table. Further expressions of concern are not enough.”
As recently as September 1, 145 works council members warned of the dramatic loss of industrial jobs at the Saxon Co-determination Conference in Dresden.
Philipp Zirzow, IGBCE District Director for Saxony: “Nine days ago, our works council members said here in Dresden: Things can’t go on like this. At that time, we were talking about 3,600 lost or threatened industrial jobs in our Saxon industries. With GSK, that number is now 4,250. This shows just how dire the situation has become. Saxony must not lose another piece of its industrial base. GSK cannot simply abandon 641 people and their families. We will not allow that to happen. We are fighting for the location and for every job.”
Peter Mißbach, Works Council Chair at the GSK site in Dresden: “This news strikes us to the core. Behind those 641 jobs are our colleagues, their partners, their children, and their futures. Many have dedicated their entire careers to this plant and produced vaccines here for millions of people. We are deeply affected, but we are not broken. This site must not be shut down over our heads. We will fight for our jobs as one, loudly and resolutely.”
The IGBCE calls on GSK to suspend the closure plans, disclose the basis for the decision, and negotiate seriously with the works council and the union regarding alternatives. It expects the federal government and the Free State to convene a joint summit on the site without delay. Security of supply, industrial value creation, and good jobs must no longer be sacrificed for the sake of the lowest price.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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