Earlier this week, De Telegraaf wrote about Tata Steel Europe’s plans to acquire the business unit for sale in the Netherlands, among others. These include panel maker SAB Profilel in IJsselstein, Nieuwegein and Geldermalsen. Tata pipe maker is also said to be up for sale.

Bother

“It is very annoying,” Frits van Wieringen, chairman of the central workers’ council, told RTL Z. “There is a lot of unrest now. We said: just open it. I assume that management will make sure they know more sooner. come.”

Tata Steel Europe spokesperson, Ariane Volz, said Tata Steel had made no statement at all regarding the possibility of selling spare parts.

‘Management knows nothing’

ANP reported that Dutch management was ‘very concerned’ by the fact that it had not seen any proposals for a possible sale of spare parts. Amazing, because management is the one who should approve this.

But Volz, who confusingly enough also officially speaks for Tata Steel Netherlands, would not answer the question of whether this was true. “The truth is I can’t say anything about this,” Volz said.

Profitable part

The spokesperson wearing the two hats is an example of the anxiety that has arisen. The interests of the parent company Tata Steel Europe do not always coincide with the interests of the Dutch branch, even though they are the same company. According to COC chairman Van Wieringen, there is a much bigger problem behind it.

Things have not been going well for Tata Steel in Europe for some time now. Factories in England suffered losses. The location in the Netherlands is profitable, as are the branches in Europe. Profits in Europe decline. India’s parent company Tata Steel has seen its profits fall sharply in recent years due to low steel prices, production costs and trade wars.

The company said in November last year that there was 1,600 jobs will be lost in the Netherlands to save costs in Europe. 1,000 jobs will be lost in the UK. This gave rise to many protests from Dutch employees and trade unions. Last week it became clear that mass layoffs in the Netherlands would occur at least until October next year impossible through agreements with trade unions.

Employees are in uncertainty

Meanwhile, employees are still in uncertainty. “Tata Steel has been undertaking a major transformation for months, which has had an impact on the Netherlands,” Van Wieringen said. “We think they should solve the problem of loss-making factories in the UK, but there’s no point if you sell profitable parts in the Netherlands,” he said.

According to Van Wieringen, the companies that will be on display are modern and profitable companies. “Many have often invested in it. This is the company that processes our steel from IJmuiden into products. It is a highly specialized and high-quality product, so you should not throw it away.”