Trade unions at Sanofi organized a strike against layoffs

The company announced last year its plan to eliminate a thousand jobs in France in three years.

Trade unions at the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi organized a strike against layoffs. Protest rallies were held in front of the company's coronavirus vaccine laboratory and elsewhere. The unions do not agree with the planned job cuts. About two hundred people gathered in front of the company's extensive research and development complex in the village of Marcy l’Etoile in central France. According to unions, the dismissal of employees will slow down the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The company announced last year its plan to eliminate a thousand jobs in France in three years. The company said that it expects departures of employees on the basis of a mutual agreement. The company did not want to comment on the situation in view of the ongoing negotiations with the unions. Sanofi is developing a coronavirus vaccine in collaboration with British partner GlaxoSmithKline. Last month, both companies announced that the vaccine would be ready by the end of this year at the earliest. The reason is the need to improve its effectiveness for older people.