The transfer of the production of the Salvat laboratories to Alcalá de Henares could affect up to 150 workers

BarcelonaThe Catalan pharmaceutical company Salvat announced this Wednesday the intention to concentrate all its production capacity at the factory it has in Alcalá de Henares, in Madrid. Conversely, this decision implies stopping production at the Esplugues de Llobregat plant. As reported by La Vanguardia and confirmed to ARA by union sources, the move will affect between 130 and 150 workers at the Catalan plant, who have for the moment been notified of a geographical mobility file. Currently, between 300 and 350 people work at the Salvat center in Esplugues de Llobregat.

In addition, the five departments that make up the operations area will be moved to Madrid: production, supply–supply–, quality control, quality assurance, and engineering, environment and safety. At the same time, the family group highlights that it will maintain its corporate headquarters, central offices, and research and development (R&D) activity in Catalonia. The move, as set out in the new strategic plan of the family pharmaceutical company approved in July, will be progressive until 2030.

A workforce rooted in Catalonia

Although this Wednesday Salvat notified the workers' representatives of its intention to initiate a geographical mobility process for the employees in the affected areas, voices from the company committee point out that it is "difficult" to imagine that a large portion of the workers will be able to accept a transfer. The reason is that, as they explain, a large part of the staff has been working at the family company for more than 20 years and is deeply rooted in Catalonia. The pharmaceutical company, however, has not yet detailed how many workers will be offered the mobility file.

For its part, Salvat justified the decision by ensuring that it responded to the need to "build a more agile, efficient and competitive organization, equipped with the necessary capabilities to respond to the growing demands of the pharmaceutical industry". In this vein, the CEO of the pharmaceutical company, Jordi Muntañola, stated that "the consolidation of the Alcalá de Henares plant represents a strategic decision for the future of Salvat and a decisive step in the execution of the 2030 Plan". "We need an industrial platform capable of accompanying our long-term ambitions," said Muntañola, who added: "We are building the foundations of the Salvat of the coming years".