Syngenta to cut or relocate 1800 jobs in 2015

Agrochemical heavyweight Syngenta has initiated a global restructuring plan that will see around 1800 roles either cut or moved to different sites. The affected roles will be spread across all of the company’s functions, including sales, marketing, operational and R&D. The company has indicated that 500 operational roles at its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland will be affected, of which it expects two thirds to be relocated rather than cut.

The plan will involve some ‘consolidation’ of R&D sites, but company spokesman Luke Gibbs tells Chemistry World that Syngenta ‘remains committed to its main R&D hubs, including Jealott’s Hill in the UK’. Smaller, peripheral sites will be assessed as to whether their functions can be integrated into these sites. ‘We will do our utmost to retain roles where possible,’ Gibbs adds.