Another thousand jobs are at risk at Philips. A new reorganization would be announced next Monday, the ED reports. The new round of restructuring comes in addition to the 4,000 jobs that were already cut at the end of October. Philips is heading for a loss of more than one and a half billion euros over the past year.
Topman Roy Jakobs will unfold his plans for the coming years on Monday when he presents the annual figures. He will then be at the helm for more than a hundred days.
When the remediation was announced at the end of October, it became clear that the poison cup was still not empty. At that time there was already a line through four thousand jobs, four hundred of which in the Netherlands. To help ‘Philips have a strong future’, he already hinted that he was working on a new plan.
Simpler and more flexible
As far as Jakobs is concerned, Philips must become simpler and more flexible, as can be read in the newspaper. He also wants to take steps to increase productivity. He wants to focus mainly on products for which there will be a lot of demand in the future.
It is not expected that Philips will again put business units on display.
Unions not yet informed
The unions have not yet been informed of the scope of the reorganization. That will only happen on Sunday, say FNV, CNV and VHP2, among others. They don’t want to speculate on how many people will be laid off. They say they are concerned. “We hope it will remain limited,” says Suat Koetloe of De Unie, another union active at Philips. He says that there has been uncertainty among the staff for some time.
Colette van Wezel of VHP2 also has that image. “We are already hearing that staff are looking for other work.” She is afraid that much-needed knowledge will disappear at Philips. CNV director Arjan Huizinga already had the impression that the upcoming round would be heavier than the one in the autumn. “But we won’t know that until the weekend.”
Inspections in Best
The American health care watchdog FDA has carried out inspections at Philips in Best in recent days. According to the ED, the research focuses on the quality process.
Philips has been under a magnifying glass at the FDA since the global recall of millions of breathing and apnea devices. The inspections at the factory in Best, where medical scanners and systems for keyhole surgery are mainly made, are separate from the FDA investigation into the recall.
According to a spokesman for Philips, who confirms the visit of inspectors from the American watchdog, these are regular announced checks.
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