830 jobs are set to disappear at bus builder Van Hool this year and nearly 300 more job losses will kick in during the next three years. Management announced redundancies and other job losses at a special works council. "We understand the impact this plan will have on employees and their families, and it is hard for us to take this step," says co-CEO Marc Zwaaneveld.
At a special works council bus manufacturer Van Hool announced over 1,100 jobs will disappear at the company between now and 2027. The redundancies and other job losses are part of the 'Van Hool Recovery Plan' the company is introducing to get the business back on track.
The largest number of job losses - about 830 – are planned for this year. Workers will leave the company as a result of redundancies, early retirement schemes and natural wastage.
Retirements and natural wastage will lead to over 50 more departures in 2025 and 2026. In 2027, a further 220 employees will leave the company as a result of layoffs and retirement schemes.
"We understand the impact this plan will have on employees and their families, and it is hard for us to take this step," says Marc Zwaaneveld, co-CEO of Van Hool. "However, given the urgent situation the company finds itself in, it is really necessary to take these measures to secure a sustainable future for Van Hool. This recovery plan means we will remain a meaningful employer in Flanders."
Bus production is now being moved to Macedonia. The presentation of the Recovery Plan doesn’t mean Van Hool is out of the woods yet. The company needs to find 45 million euros before the month is out. Otherwise it faces bankruptcy.
Four high-street banks are the company’s biggest creditors. They are meeting representatives of the Flemish government, Van Hool management and unions this afternoon to discuss a way out of the crisis. Flemish employment minister Jo Brouns (Christian democrat) says that if the creditors agree to the Recovery Plan and a new external partner can be found the Flemish government is prepared to invest in the ailing bus constructor.
City bus and coach production moves to northern Macedonia
News that Van Hool would stop producing city buses at its site in Koningshooikt (Lier - Antwerp Province) already leaked this weekend. This production - as well as the production of coaches - will henceforth move to the Skopje plant in northern Macedonia.
The production of industrial vehicles - large semi-trailers and trailers - will remain in Koningshooikt and the research and development department will also be spared. The 'Recovery Plan Van Hool' envisages direct employment of about 1,400 employees and almost 3,000 if you include indirect employment, the vast majority of which is in the region.