MORE than 60 jobs are to be axed at a pharmaceutical company in Wrexham.
Staff at CP Pharmaceuticals Ltd on the Wrexham Industrial Estate were left reeling last week after it was announced that 66 jobs, mostly managerial and supervisory positions, are to be lost in the coming months.
The firm announced in January that it was having to shed some of its 450-strong workforce, and after a 30-day consultation period with employee-elected representatives and management, a final figure of 66 redundancies was announced.
In a statement, CP Pharmaceuticals said: 'The company has concluded its review of structures, systems and processes in order to provide a strong, vibrant and profitable organisation in the long-term.'
CP Pharmaceuticals was bought-out by the Indian firm Wockhardt Ltd last year and employees were assured that their jobs were safe, but the company has dismissed fears it plans to relocate to India.
Dr Karl Roberts, sales and marketing director, said: 'During the consultation period, we invited voluntary redundancies and worked with employees whose jobs would be made redundant to find positions elsewhere in the firm.
'Unfortunately, for 66 employees a position could not be found for them. The redundancies are across the board, but they affect indirect rather than direct employees - the distinction being direct employers have a hands-on role in manufacturing and indirect employees have a supervisory or management role.
'This exercise will make the business more effective and efficient to create a solid base for it to move forward. The fact we have not made redundancies among direct employees proves we do not wish to diminish our manufacturing base.'
Dr Roberts also added that it was too early to tell if there would be any more job losses at the company, which reported sales of £36m last year.
The news comes as the latest blow to Wrexham's beleaguered manufacturing industry, following a string of job cuts over the past 12 months, with redundancies at Hoya Lens, Brother, Tetra Pak and Sharp.
Most recently, it was announced that 80 jobs are to be lost at the Georgia Pacific firm on the Wrexham Industrial Estate when the plant closes later this year.
