AS BLUE-collar workers volunteer for redundancy from GlaxoSmithKline's factory at Ulverston, new figures show profits made by the global drugs giant soared by more than half-a-billion pounds last year.
The world's biggest pharmaceutical company was created in December when Glaxo Wellcome - which employs 1,200 people at Ulverston - merged with SmithKlineBeecham.
Last November, Glaxo announced it would have to shed 110 blue-collar jobs at the North Lonsdale Road factory because of "increasingly tough competition and pricing pressures".
The company stressed the job losses had nothing to do with the multi-billion pound merger, and hoped the cuts could be made through voluntary redundancy.
Communications adviser Linda McBride this week told the Gazette: "As far as I'm aware nobody has gone yet.
"It's going to be managed throughout the year, but we do have more than 100 people who have said they definitely want to go."
She said details of pension and redundancy packages were confidential between the company and its employees.
Workers at the Ulverston plant are involved in making powerful antibiotics used in hospitals, the anti-flu drug Relenza, and medicine for Aids patients.
The combined results of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKlineBeecham for the year 2000 show that profits before tax soared from £4.7 billion to £5.3 billion - an increase of 13 per cent.
Mrs McBride said it was "impossible" to extract from those combined figures the contribution made by the Ulverston plant.
GSK's portfolio of products includes drugs for asthma, migraine, depression and epilepsy, as well as Ribena juice, Aquafresh toothpaste and Lucozade Sport drink.
Chief executive officer Dr Jean-Pierre Garnier commented: "These results, achieved while we were separate companies, demonstrate the strength and performance of the two organisations we have brought together to form GSK."
He thanked staff for "keeping their eye on the ball despite the distractions of the merger".
"The business is in good shape and GSK is off to a strong start," added Dr Garnier.
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