GSK stands firm over dismissals in China despite protests
Former employees plan to dispute drugmaker's decision to fire them over claims of misconduct
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said it would not hesitate to fire as many Chinese employees as necessary if they were found guilty of misconduct, in the face of plans by disgruntled former GSK employees to protest against their dismissal.
"Regardless of scale, we will not tolerate misconduct. Where evidence of misconduct has been found, we must take appropriate disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment," said a spokeswoman of Britain's largest drug firm.
GSK employees who were laid off in China last week plan to protest against their removal, Bloomberg reported, citing a statement by the workers.
At least 135 employees dispute the London-listed drugmaker's decision to fire them and about half plan to take their complaint to Chinese labour authorities, Li Kunhua, one of the workers, told Bloomberg.
GSK last Friday said that it took disciplinary action against employees for misconduct that had taken place before mid-2013 in China. At least 110 workers were fired, people with knowledge of the matter said.
The company acted without "producing any evidence of compliance violations to the employees," and did not offer "any compensation or reasonable communications," the workers said in a statement.