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.
The French oil group Total has begun negotiations with the trade unions on a voluntary departure plan with a view to cut 700 net jobs. Departures in operational positions will be compensated for by recruitment, but departures at the group's headquarters will not be replaced.
According to management, this plan would mainly concern employees at the end of their careers who would be offered an exemption from work.
Total's management refused to quantify the impact of this plan in terms of jobs, explaining that the number of employees concerned will depend terms and conditions agreed during negotiations.
The CGT central trade union delegate estimates that 'between 1,400 and 1,500' employees could take the departure plan out of the 16,000 Total employees in France, and around 'half' would not be replaced. For the CFDT, this negotiation is a good initiative because it will result in the hiring of young people in activities with a future such as R& to expand the group's focus to different energy sources. The representative reported that natural departures are already no longer being replaced in the head offices, because of the hiring freeze.
Several restructuring were recorded in the past: from 100 to 600 job cuts announced in 2011, 370 job cuts on 2010 (and 240 job creations) in 2010; 550 job cuts in 2009.; 177 job cuts in October 2007 ; 243 job cuts in August 2007 and 300 job cuts in 2006.
Eurofound (2020), Total, Internal restructuring in France, factsheet number 102694, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/102694.