Shock at huge Pfizer job cuts

The scale of the Pfizer jobs cuts sent shock waves around the world as 6,000 jobs were axed with the firm aiming to restructure its global network.

Ireland was one of the worst-hit countries in the latest round of cuts – with three out of its eight sites earmarked for closure.

Pfizer boss Nat Ricciardi told staff the firm has “a tremendous global workforce and some of the best manufacturing facilities in the industry”.

But the compliment did little to lift morale among the 785 employees in Ireland left clinging to any hope of getting another job during the downturn – or in enticing a prospective buyer to snap up one of the doomed factory sites.

The same despair was felt in the US where about 3,000 jobs will go when three plants close and production is cut back at another two.

Two sites are to shut in Puerto Rico, with the loss of 1,800 posts.

Elsewhere, 90 jobs will go in Havant, near Portsmouth, with posts also going at Illertissen, Germany.

In Ireland 510 staff based in Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, and Loughbeg and Shanbally, Co Cork, face a future on the dole queue if a buyer is not found for the plants.

Manufacturing in Newbridge, Co Kildare, will be dramatically reduced with 275 job cuts.

Following the massive job cuts outlined by Pfizer, here is a breakdown of some of the largest and highest-profile losses at other leading companies in the last 18 months.

2009 – January

:: PC giant Dell shatters the mid-west’s local economy with closure of its Limerick plant and 1,900 redundancies.

:: The world-renowned Waterford Crystal closes its last major glass-making plant in the south-east with 480 workers laid off.

:: Ulster Bank demonstrates the effect of the global banking crisis with plans for 750 redundancies and the closure of First Active branches.

:: Supermarket chain Superquinn confirms it plans to shed 400 jobs and closes its Dundalk store.

:: Dublin Bus announces plans to reduce its fleet and make about 290 workers redundant.

:: Electrical manufacturer Kostal compounds fears over the depth of the recession with plans to cut 300 workers from the payroll.

February

:: About 1,135 well paid aircraft maintenance workers at the SR Technics plant are told the Dublin Airport plant is shutting down.

May

:: Delivery business DHL announces 250 job cuts with the closure of several depots around the country.

July

:: Multinational microchip firm Intel details plans to reduce its Leixlip workforce by 300.

November

:: GlaxoSmithKline reveals 250 workers will be laid off with the closure of its Stiefel laboratories plant in Sligo.

2010 – February

:: Bank of Scotland (Ireland) shocks the Irish financial sector by announcing the complete closure of its Halifax branch network and 750 job losses.

March

:: Aer Lingus crew vote in favour of a €97m cost-cutting exercise, resulting in about 670 redundancies.

April

:: The crisis-hit Quinn group is forced to announce 900 lay-offs at its insurance division as it attempts to trade through administration.