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The pharmaceutical distribution company Sangers-AAH is to make almost 50 people redundant in Belfast.

It is the major supplier of drugs to pharmacies, dispensing doctors and hospitals in Northern Ireland.

The business was formed when AAH's parent company bought Sangers in 2016.

It said that as a result of merging the two operations it has identified 48 roles for redundancy and staff have been made aware.

In a statement, the firm said: "As a result of this work to amalgamate our systems and centralise some of our processes, we will be removing the equivalent of 48 full-time roles across all areas of the business.

"Our colleagues have been told and indications are that we will be able to achieve this number through voluntary redundancy."

The Unite trade union, which represents around 200 staff in the business, said it was also optimistic that the redundancies would be voluntary.

George Brash, Unite regional officer, said: "We will want to see assurances that the terms and conditions of our members are upheld throughout the process."