Restructuring events
European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
The bus operator Nobina is going to dismiss 255 bus drivers in Skåne, Southern Sweden due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the company, the notifications of dismissals have been already sent, and they will take effect in August. Nobina reports that these job cuts are needed since Skånetrafiken, the regional public transportation authority, has decided to cut down the number of bus lines operated by the company due to the drop in the passenger volumes.
More in detail, Skånetrafiken specifies that the number of passengers has decreased by 50% between March and June 2020. Despite the regional authority will receive financial support from the State, it argues that the amount of the aid will only cover the losses of 3-4 months, therefore there is the need to cut some lines.
Representatives of trade union Kommunal argues that the decision of Skånetrafiken to cut down the bus lines is irresponsible since it might lead to more crowded buses. Employees' representatives of Nobina criticise Skånetrafiken’s decision by arguing that bus drivers are an occupational group that has been exposed to the risk of getting ill throughout the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and it is therefore offensive that some of these workers will now also lose their jobs.
Nobina is one of the most significant bus transport groups in the Nordic region, operating in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
Eurofound (2020), Nobina, Internal restructuring in Sweden, factsheet number 100921, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/100921.