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| Photo Credit: Reuters
A spate of job terminations continues in the prescription drugs gross sales sector, with the newest at multinational drug maker AstraZeneca (AZ) Pharma India Limited, which has let go of its 103 employees in the corporate’s ‘primary care’ division. While 52 of these gross sales employees accepted the supply of the voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) floated by the pharma main, one other 51 had desisted.
AZ India’s major care division had accountability for the gross sales of two medication — Betaloc, a beta blocker drug; and Imdur, which is prescribed for anginal ache. According to sources, the corporate is merging advertising and marketing actions for these drug class portfolios with different divisions.
“AZ India has unlawfully terminated the services of even those employees who did not accept VRS. Some of these employees are in their thirties and forties. Why would they want to seek voluntary retirement?” one of the employees who has refused the corporate’s supply requested.
Official reporting portals of 51 employees had been blocked and the corporate transferred the termination compensation together with different dues instantly into the financial institution accounts of these employees, one other worker terminated by AZ India stated.
On Wednesday, representatives of a number of pharma firms, together with AZ India, Albert David Limited, Stadmed Private Limited, Karnataka Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals Limited, and Sanofi Pasteur India Private Limited, amongst others, protested outdoors AZ India’s gross sales depot in southeast Delhi.
Following the lay-offs, the Federation of Medical and Sales Representatives Associations of India (FMRAI) filed a grievance with the Labour Commissioner in Bengaluru. “AZ India’s management attended the conciliation meeting on February 28 at the office of the deputy labour commissioner… and assured us to continue with the marketing activities of primary care division…despite that we were shocked and surprised to note that management has issued letters of termination on March 6 to all sales promotion employees… with vague and untenable reasons that their services will cease after the closing hours of March 10,” FMRAI’s basic secretary Santanu Chatterjee wrote in a letter to AZ India’s Human Resources director Amanpreet Kaur Ahuja.
Most employees who’ve misplaced their job belong to medical representatives’ unions and have alleged that their abrupt dismissal is in violation of labour legislation and tantamount to unfair labour practices. Mr. Chatterjee stated that as per Section 33 (1)(a) and (b) of Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 no employer can change the service situations with out specific permission of the involved conciliation (labour) officer throughout the pendency of the proceedings.
AZ India has in the meantime maintained that it has discontinued companies of some of its gross sales promotion employees because of this of the corporate’s “evolving strategic priorities”.
The pharma main has clocked wholesome progress with 24% rise in income from operations from ₹205.85 crore in Q3 FY22 to ₹257 crore in Q3 FY23. Net revenue throughout the identical time jumped from ₹11.41 crore to ₹29.30 crore.
The wave of lay-offs continues after home firms like Zydus Lifesciences Limited, TTK Healthcare Limited and Indoco Remedies Limited laid off their employees. Among the multinationals, Novartis Limited, Sanofi India Limited and Pfizer Limited have additionally adopted go well with.
