Type
Outsourcing
Country
Belgium
Region
Vlaams Gewest; Prov. West-Vlaanderen; Arr. Tielt
Location of affected unit(s)
Sint-Baafs-Vijve
Sector
Manufacturing
Manufacture Of Material For Textiles, Apparel, Leather And Related Products
Manufacture Of Textiles
13.93 - Manufacture of carpets and rugs

295 jobs
Number of planned job losses
Job loss
Announcement Date
15 February 2023
Employment effect (start)
28 February 2023
Foreseen end date

Description

Balta, a multinational company and producer of rugs and carpets has announced the closure of its facility in Sint-Baafs-Vijve. Concretely the production will be stopped and transferred to other facilities within the United-Kingdom, leading to dismissal of all 295 active employees at the facility.

The company management has stated that the main reasoning is the fact that due to rising costs it is no longer economically viable to continue production in Belgium. In addition, the facility is specialized in wall-to-wall carpeting. These products are decreasing in popularity within Continental Europe. In the UK, the market for these specific products is less affected by this decrease in demand.

As is required by the law, social partners have began negotiations with the company mangagement in order to look for alternative solutions to closure.


Sources

Citation

Eurofound (2023), Balta, Outsourcing in Belgium, factsheet number 108414, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/108414.