The supervisory board at Organon, part of US pharmaceuticals giant Merck, has refused to agree to plans to cut 2,175 jobs and close the R&D department, according to local paper Brabants Dagblad.

In addition, the supervisory board has come out in support of the works council which is taking Merck to court. The council argues Merck did not meet its statutory obligations to consult it about the closure.
The paper says supervisory board president Paul Brons has written to the company saying the decision to cut jobs cannot be carried out because it is not in the interests of the company, the staff, the town of Oss and the Netherlands.
More details are promised on Monday.