Brussels, 13/10/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) is to allocate €386,114 to help 435 workers made redundant by Heijmans N.V., a Dutch construction company, to find new work. An application for assistance was submitted to the Commission on 4 August 2009 and approved on Tuesday 13 October. It will now be put to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU for decision.
The package of EGF assistance will help 435 of the most disadvantaged former workers of Heijmans N.V back into employment by offering them career guidance and retraining. The estimated total cost of the package is almost €600,000, with the European Union being asked to provide EGF assistance of €386,114, the Commission says.
The Dutch application relates to 570 redundancies at Heijmans N.V. In the Netherlands, these redundancies have an impact (1) at national level (because Heijmans N.V. has subsidiaries located all around the country), (2) at regional level (because about 40% of the dismissals occurred in the province of Northern Brabant) and (3) at local level (because 15% of the layoffs happened in Rotterdam). In 2008, both the province of Northern Brabant and the city of Rotterdam suffered an above-average decline in economic activity. (G.B./transl.rt)