Friday, January 22, 2010

The human costs of pharma's Great Recession

There have been a number of cases recently of pharma scientists committing acts of violence; some of these acts are believed to be connected to their layoff.

While Chemjobber is mostly dedicated to the quantifiable aspects of what is now being called the Great Recession, it's worth noting the inalterable changes that are happening because plants are being shut down and people are being laid off. There are the immediate financial consequences: lost wages, lost homes, growing debt, etc.

But the human costs are deep: the stress of finding a new job (possibly for lower wages), the potential of being forced out of the field you love, the toll that this can take on families as they try to survive and (as seen in the linked articles) the poor choices that people make when things look their bleakest.

My thoughts and prayers are with the affected, their families and, well, all of us as we try to make it.

2 comments:

  1. I think it is better to fight back in courts, rather than start killing your spouse or yourself. The ex-Pfizer employees at Sugen who got cheated out of their promised severance package class-action sued Pfizer and settled for the money owed and legal expenses. But it took them more than 2 years.

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  2. milkshake! I am honored by your presence. You're right, of course. Don't take the law into your own hands -- take 'em to court.

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looks like Blogger doesn't work with anonymous comments from Chrome browsers at the moment - works in Microsoft Edge, or from Chrome with a Blogger account - sorry! CJ 3/21/20