Gillette to Cut Jobs

Proctor & Gamble, the parent company of razor-maker Gillette, is closing the second of two plants in Devens, and is also cutting more than 200 jobs at its South Boston plant.

WBUR's Abigail Beshkin has more.

BESHKIN: The Devens packaging plant will close in 2010, and Gillette will send packaging operations to Mexico.

The Devens plant is operated by contractor Sonoco, and employs about 400 permanent staff and hundreds more temporary workers.

Sonoco General Manager Jeff Tomaszewski says the company will relocate about 50 workers to an Andover facility, and is reaching out to the rest.

TOMASZEWSKI: Sonoco is committed to working with each employee to make sure they have a plan in place to help mitigate the impact of this announcement.

BESHKIN: Gillette also says it will phase out 215 jobs in South Boston over the next five years, as it gets ready to make a new line of razors.

The company has been shrinking operations in Massachusetts since it was bought by Proctor & Gamble in 2005.