HELPING hundreds of workers at Pfizer find new jobs must be a priority for the drugs giant, says the Mayor of Sandwich.

Cllr Joe Trussler was speaking after it was revealed that the company is to close its manufacturing department with the loss of around 420 jobs.

He said: “Pfizer say there is going to be natural wastage but I hope they can soften the blow by finding alternative employment for the people who are made redundant.

“It is not as if employment prospects in east Kent are all that brilliant now anyway. In recent years we have lost a number of major employers who have not been replaced.”

Cllr Trussler said he was "devastated" by the news and added that, from a personal point of view, he was disappointed because Pfizer has worked well with Sandwich Town Council over a number of issues including financial support for a police community support officer and the tourist information centre.

Pfizer says it remains committed to its research and development programme at Sandwich.

The closure of manufacturing operations will be phased over the next two years.

Stephen Ladyman, MP for South Thanet, said: "TThe hardworking men and women who work in manufacturing at Sandwich have made a massive contribution to the growth of Pfizer over decades and this is no way for the company to treat them.

"At one time, loyalty to their staff was a watchword at Pfizer, but in these days of global trading and global manufacturing loyalty to the workforce and local communities doesn't seem to count for much."

He added: "I know Pfizer will do its best to redeploy as many people as possible but that will be little comfort to those who will lose their jobs over the next two years.

"It is also a blow to our local community as these are high quality jobs that we can ill afford to lose.

"I have already spoken to John Hutton, Secretary of State for Business and Enterprise, and, thankfully, he has promised an immediate response from the Government.

"He will do everything he can to help people find work and to soften this devestating blow to the local community. I have asked him to consider setting up an emergency taskforce to help.

"This decision will impact the whole of East Kent, so Gwyn Prosser, the MP for Dover, and I will be doing everything in our power to help."

In a statement Pfizer said that during the next two years its priority would be to support colleagues affected by the decision, including redeployment where possible, as well as supporting colleagues with training for internal and external recruitment.

The statement went on: "Every effort will be made to mitigate the impact on Pfizer colleagues and the local community. To this effect, the company will be working closely with local agencies as the process moves forward.

"The announcement is the result of Pfizer’s ongoing plans to consolidate worldwide manufacturing operations in order to manage global capacity and demand more efficiently.

"It also responds to Pfizer’s continued need to establish a smaller and more flexible cost base, to ensure that it can continue to meet evolving business needs in an increasingly competitive environment for research based pharmaceuticals."

Tony Maddaluna, vice-president of Pfizer Global Manufacturing, said: “It is with regret that we announce our decision to end manufacturing operations in Sandwich after 53 years.

"This is the latest in a number of global manufacturing changes, to ensure we are operating as efficiently and effectively as possible and able to respond to the challenges of today’s business environment."

Colin Seller, manufacturing site leader at Sandwich, said: "This decision is no reflection on the performance of our talented and skilled workforce at Sandwich.

"We recognise that this may be a difficult time for colleagues and our priority now, and over the coming weeks and months, is to support our people through this process.”

Pfizer remains committed to its research and development programme at Sandwich which, as announced earlier this year, is one of Pfizer’s four key global research and development sites.

"It is the key discovery and development site in the areas of allergy and respiratory, genitory-urinary, pain, vaccines, gastrointestinal and hepatology, and anti-retrovirals."

Have you been affected by the job cuts at Pfizer? If so, the East Kent Mercury would like to hear from you. You can telephone the newsdesk in confidence on 01843 222777.