European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
Eurofound's ERM database on restructuring-related legal regulations provides information on regulations in the Member States of the European Union and Norway which are explicitly or implicitly linked to anticipating and managing change.
Articles 62-70
As soon as unions' representatives have been informed about the intention to proceed to collective dismissals (namely, within 60 days, dismissals of at least 10 workers in firms with 20-99 employees, of at least 10% of the workforce in companies with 100-299 employees or at least 30 workers in firms with 300 or more staff), the employers are required to notify the regional employment office (VDAB in Flanders, FOREM in Wallonia and ACTIRIS in Brussels). From that moment, the information and consultation procedure starts with no time limit with regards to when it should end. As soon as this step is completed, employers are required to notify the regional employment office in writing, providing proofs that the consultation procedure has been respected and providing information related to the affected employees, the activities of the employer, and the characteristics of the consultation (who was consulted when on what) that has taken place with the works council.
A copy of the notification letter must be also sent to the Federal Public Department for Employment, Labour ans Social Consultation. The law does not specify any obligation for the public authority to respond to the notification.
From that moment, union representatives have 30 days to object about the information and consultation process. During this period, the employer cannot proceed to any layoff. If no objections are expressed during this period, at the end of it the employer is allowed to proceed with the collective dismissal. However, if objections are expressed, the regional employment office can extend this period up to 60 days. In this case, the employer has to address the issue raised by the unions by the end of the extended period.
Annual data on the number of companies which started an information and consultation procedure each year and the number of employees involved is available through the Federal Public Service for Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue.
Eurofound (2015), Belgium: Public authorities information and consultation on dismissals, Restructuring legislation database, Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/legislationdb/public-authorities-information-and-consultation-on-dismissals/belgium
This Eurofound research paper explores key trends in restructuring in recent years, highlighting the companies that announced the largest job losses and job gains in the EU. It builds on an analysis of company announcements recorded in Eurofound’s European Restructuring Monitor (ERM), alongside a new classification of restructuring events involving changes in company location.
:quality(80))
Employers increasingly use tools such as email, SMS and messaging apps like WhatsApp or Signal to communicate with employees. While these technologies offer both efficiency and convenience, their use in communicating sensitive information, particularly for notifying employees of dismissal, raises legal concerns. This article explores the legal framework on dismissals across the EU, with a special focus on the use of digital means for communicating employment dismissals. Drawing on examples from various Member States, it examines the legal validity of digital dismissals.
:quality(80))
In 2023, thousands of workers in big tech lost their jobs. Meta, Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft and Salesforce had been considered to offer good and secure jobs up to this point. Giants of the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, these companies are among the highest paying, with Eurostat data from 2022 indicating that workers in ICT had the second-highest median gross hourly earnings (surpassed only by earnings in the financial sector).[1] These layoffs were a shock, especially as the biggest companies had hired extensively during the COVID-19 pandemic. What happened in the two years after this redundancy wave – was that the end of the cuts or did the companies start expanding again?
:quality(80))
In 2024, the automotive sector in the EU came to the fore in public and policy discussions. The focus was on the slowdown in electric vehicle (EV) sales, rising global competition, belated investments in new technologies, and the potential closure of production lines in Europe. A number of European car manufacturers and suppliers announced their intention to make large-scale redundancies and change long-standing collective agreements on job security and wages, while workers raised concerns amid demonstrations and industrial action.
:quality(80))