The Hague: Tata Steel Netherlands announced Wednesday it planned to slash 1,600 jobs in the Netherlands, laying the blame on weak demand in Europe and global trade tensions.
The company based in IJmuiden near Amsterdam said the cuts would fall on management and support roles, and would be compensated for by elimination of duplication and more automation.
It said it was forced into making the cuts due to "challenging demand conditions in Europe, driven by geo-political developments, trade and supply chain disruptions and energy costs".
The announcement immediately came under fire from the Netherlands' largest umbrella union federation FNV, which said it " did not understand" Tata's plans for a restructuring.
"Even now there are no detailed plans. They only thing created now is chaos," the FNV said in a statement.
Tata Steel in November 2023 announced it was scrapping 800 jobs at its under-pressure plant which employs more than 9,200 people and 11,500 in the Netherlands.
In reality however, few jobs were cut after the announcement at the time.
