Employees at Merck Serono in Geneva will strike tomorrow, as response to the company sticking to its plan to close the Geneva headquarters, and a site in the canton of Vaud.

Some 650 employees met this afternoon, and only three voted against the strike. 51 abstained. 

Merck Serono said proposals from employees to keep the sites open weren’t viable.

However, the company says it has improved its redundancy packages and is making more employees eligible for early retirement, lowering eligibility from 58 to 56 years old.

During the consultation period, employees submitted alternative ideas including spin-offs and startups in the Geneva region.

Merck Serono says that it will offer 30 million euros to employees for such enterprises.

Employees were not satisfied with that, with labor union Unia saying it was “furious” because of the decision.

Workers will meet late tomorrow to decide if the strike will continue.

Previously, Merck Serono said of the 1,250 posts in Geneva, as many as 750 could be transferred elsewhere.