Sanofi to cut 900 French research posts, a lot fewer than had been feared

French drug major Sanofi (Euronext: SAN) yesterday fleshed out on its plans for changes in its research operations, which could see the company shed around 900 jobs by 2015, a lot fewer that the 1,500-2,500 that had been predicted by trade unions.

The huge difference between anticipated and actual reduction in jobs is, according the the UK's Financial Times, due to pressure from France's Socialist government to curb unemployment. The newspaper quotes Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg as saying he had told Sanofi's chief executive that the original layoffs plan "was abusive and needed to be reduced," and that a "company that earned money cannot behave like a company in trouble."

Sanofi said it will communicate to its social partners in the coming days a project for the adaptation of its activities in France through 2015 before beginning information and consultation procedures in October. This project would be a continuation of the three key strategic objectives presented on July 5: