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.
Article 70 Act on promoting employment and labour market institutions; Article 2 par 6 and article 4 of the Act on special principles of termination of employment contracts for reasons not related to employees (Collective Dismissals Act)
The employer is obliged to notify the company trade unions in writing about the reasons for the planned redundancies (collective dismissal, that is 10 employees within 30 days if the company employs 20 to 99 persons, 10% of the employees within 30 days if the company employs 100 to 299 persons and 30 employees within 30 days if the company employs 300 or more persons), the estimated number of employees to be dismissed and job categories they belong to, the period over which the projected redundancies are to be effected, the criteria proposed for the selection of the employees to be made redundant, the sequence of the redundancies, the proposals on resolving the employment matters connected with the projected collective redundancies, and, if any financial considerations are involved, the employer is additionally obliged to present the method for calculating of their amounts.
At the same time, the employer is obliged to give to the local employment office the same information except of information about extra financial payments (severance payment which are higher than severance payment established by law).
After negotiations with the trade unions are completed the employer has the obligation to deliver the agreement to the local employment office. The company trade unions may present their opinion on the collective redundancies to the local employment office.
An employer who intends to dismiss at least 50 employees* within three months is obliged to agree with the local employment office on the scope and forms of assistance to redundant workers, in particular employment services, guidance, training, and assistance in active job search. This assistance programme can be implemented by the employment office, employment agency or a training institution. The programme can be financed:
on the basis of an agreement between organisations and legal entities in cooperation with the employer.
*In any case of collective dismissal an employer has the obligation to inform public authorities. If there are collective dismissals which in a period of 3 months' time covers at least 50 employees, the obligation to inform public authorities is stronger as the employer not only needs to inform public employment services (Powiatowy Urząd Pracy), but also needs to agree with them on the scope and form of assistance. In Polish legislation this kind of collective dismissal is called monitored dismissals (until 2007 it was at least 100 employees).
Eurofound (2015), Poland: Public authorities information and consultation on dismissals, Restructuring legislation database, Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/legislationdb/public-authorities-information-and-consultation-on-dismissals/poland
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))