MORE than 240 jobs will go at pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline’s Sussex base.

Staff at the plant in Southdown View Way, Worthing, were gathered together yesterday morning and told the news.

It is part of a major restructuring which will also see the firm close its facility in Slough.

In total 320 jobs will go across the UK, with 246 of those from the Worthing plant.

The firm said redundancies would be made over the next four years with consultation on the proposals set to begin soon.

One GSK worker at the Worthing centre, who asked to remain anonymous, told of his shock at the news.

He said: “We certainly weren’t expecting that. They called us all together and we were told that there would be redundancies. It is really disappointing.”

However, not everyone was surprised by the announcement. Another worker at the Worthing facility said the “writing had been on the wall” for a few weeks.

As part of the UK-wide restructure, GSK bosses announced plans to sell off its malt drink Horlicks brand and backtracked on plans to invest in a new facility in Ulverston, Cumbria.

The job losses at Worthing relate to the company’s decision to outsource some of its antibiotics manufacturing.

The company refused to say where the work was being outsourced to, only stating that it was to an “existing third party partner”.

The spokesman added: “We are outsourcing some manufacturing from Worthing to an existing third party partner and simplifying the site.

“These moves are necessary to improve productivity and overall business performance in a very competitive market. The proposals announced today would unfortunately mean the loss of 246 roles at Worthing over four years. Consultation will now begin on these proposals.”

Roger Connor, president of GSK’s global manufacturing and supply division, said he understood that the decision would create uncertainty for staff but highlighted additional plans to expand the manufacturing of its respiratory and HIV medicines elsewhere in the country.

He said: “We have a substantial manufacturing presence in the UK and continue to support the network with new investment of more than £140 million in the next three years.

“At the same time, we have had to make some decisions which we know will cause uncertainty for some of our employees. We will do all we can to support them through this process.”

The company stressed that none of the announcements were the result of the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

The company said it is also looking to sell the MaxiNutrition brand which is popular with bodybuilders.