US drug company Merck on Thursday said it had postponed the closure of some Dutch operations while talks continue on alternatives.

A court hearing on the closures had been scheduled for Thursday afternoon. At that hearing, workers at the Organon plant in Oss planned to have the closures blocked for breaking Dutch employment laws.
In a statement, Merck said the company and unions had agreed to work together to find alternatives for business development at the Organon sites. These would take into account worries about employment, local expertise and Merck’s own economic interests.
If no agreement which is acceptable to all sides is reached by the end of the year, the closures will go ahead, the statement said.
In July Merck said it would shut three sites in the Netherlands with the loss of over 2,000 jobs.