Union: GSK Plans to Close Vaccine Plant in Dresden

According to the union, the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) plans to close its facility in Dresden by 2028. Approximately 640 jobs are at risk, as reported by the IGBCE union. According to the report, the workforce was informed of the plans on Thursday. The union announced its firm opposition to the move. The company could not initially be reached for comment.

GSK produces vaccines against influenza and hepatitis at its Dresden plant. According to earlier statements by the company, two million vaccine doses are produced each week.

With the closure, Saxony risks losing highly skilled industrial jobs and Germany risks losing important pharmaceutical production expertise, the IGBCE further reported. “This news strikes us to the core,” said Peter Mißbach, works council chairman at the GSK site in Dresden. “We will fight for our jobs—united, vocal, and determined.”

According to the union, 4,250 jobs in the industry have now been lost in Saxony. It called on the company to suspend the closure plans, disclose the basis for the decision, and negotiate seriously with the works council and the union about alternatives. A joint summit on the site’s future is expected from the federal government and the Free State of Saxony.