RUMOURS that Sheppey’s biggest employer could be closing have been quashed.

Some workers at Abbott Laboratories, Queenborough, were worried they would lose their jobs after the pharmaceutical company announced it would be looking at restructuring its worldwide business.

And negative rumours have been spreading on the Island.

But speaking exclusively to the Sheerness Times Guardian from Chicago, USA, company spokesman Chris Bona reassured employees there were no plans to close the Sheppey plant.

He said: "Two weeks ago Abbott announced its quarterly earnings and said there would be an analysis of all the pharmaceutical operations over the next 60 days.

"We are still conducting this analysis and nothing has been approved. I can assure you we will not be shutting down the Queenborough plant."

Mr Bona admitted 23 workers on the a 'twilight' manufacturing shift had been offered alternative shifts or given a redundancy package.

But he stressed: "Changing shifts is very common depending on the demand. All of those people were given an alternative within Abbott."

Abbott’s principal business is medical products and it serves customers in 130 countries, employing 60,000 staff on more more than 100 sites.

About 800 people work at the Queenborough site.