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.
On 22 June 2006 Philips Electronics announced the cutting of 200 jobs at Philips Enabling Technologies Group (ETG) in Eindhoven (Noord-Brabant) and Almelo (Overijssel). Besides these establishments, ETG has offices in Singapore and China and has some 17,000 employees worldwide. ETG produces extremely complex machines and machine parts for Philips and other companies such as FEI (electron microscopes) and ASML (machines for the chip industry). In the next three years 125 jobs will be lost in Eindhoven. This production site currently employs 650 people. In Almelo 75 of the total of 200 jobs will be lost.
According to a Philips spokesperson the amount of new orders has dropped relative to expectations and cost reductions are necessary. Trade unions (Vereniging Hoger Philips Personeel, Industriebond FNV) however, consider it likely that this reorganisation is part of the long-term selling plans of Philips. They think that Philips brushes up ETG in order to make it ready for sale.
In the weeks to come the trade unions will negotiate with the board of ETG about a redundancy scheme and placement of employees in other jobs.
Eurofound (2006), Philips ETG, Internal restructuring in Netherlands, factsheet number 63662, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/63662.