Only for employees
Reorganization at Dow
Has Dow announced that your position is being eliminated, or is there a departure proposal or settlement agreement on the table?
Dow is one of the largest chemical producers in the Netherlands, with the complex in Terneuzen as its largest site. Under pressure from high energy prices, competition in base chemicals and a global cost programme, the company is cutting jobs in the Netherlands. This page explains your position under Dutch employment law, which applies to everyone working in the Netherlands, including highly skilled migrants and internationals. For employees in production, maintenance, engineering and support, this brings uncertainty. Before you sign a proposal, it is wise to know your position and whether the offer does justice to your years of service and your situation.
Does this apply to you?
- Your role is being eliminated or changed by the reorganization
- You work in production, maintenance, engineering, R&D or support
- You work in continuous shifts or a shift system
- You have been declared redundant or received a departure scheme
- There is a settlement agreement, or you work as an international
Why employees come to ReorgLegal
ReorgLegal specializes in reorganizations and works exclusively for employees, never for employers. We assess your proposal and stand beside you.
Do not wait too long. Reorganizations often come with short response deadlines. Have a proposal assessed before you agree.
The situation at Dow
Dow is adjusting its organization in the Netherlands as part of a global cost programme, against the backdrop of a difficult period for the European chemical industry.
Jobs cut, with Terneuzen as the largest site
According to the announcement and the reporting of June 2026, around six hundred jobs are being cut at Dow in the Netherlands, with the vast majority at the Terneuzen site. An official breakdown by department or location had not been published at that time. Dow speaks of a careful process in consultation with the works council, running over several months before it becomes clear which roles exactly will disappear.
Energy, sustainability and market pressure as background
The European base chemical industry is under pressure from high energy prices, rising costs for CO2 and sharp competition from imports. At the same time, the sustainability plans for Terneuzen, such as greener production, are being delayed by permitting and nitrogen issues, among other things. That combination makes the intervention tangible for you as an employee.
The figures and arrangements around a reorganization can change. This page was last updated in July 2026; the facts shown apply as far as known at that time.
In brief
- Around six hundred jobs are being cut in the Netherlands, according to reporting
- The largest share affects the Terneuzen site
- Part of a global cost programme
- Background: energy prices, CO2 costs and market pressure in chemicals
- Breakdown by department not yet announced; process runs via the works council
- Have your situation assessed before you sign
What makes the reorganization at Dow distinctive?
At a chemical company in Zeeland, two things play a role that strongly affect your position and that you encounter less elsewhere.
Dow is outside the collective agreement for the process industry
Unlike many companies in the sector, Dow does not fall under the collective agreement for the process industry. Your terms of employment therefore follow your employment contract and Dow's own arrangements, and the trade unions are not automatically a formal party to a collective agreement here. That makes it all the more important to know which arrangements and which social plan apply to your situation, and to have your own position assessed.
A major employer in a region with fewer alternatives
In Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, Dow is one of the largest employers. Anyone who loses their role here does not always quickly find comparable work nearby. That is precisely why it weighs heavily whether the redeployment investigation was done seriously and whether an offered scheme does justice to your years and your specialism.
Not sure which arrangements apply to you? Have your situation assessed before you sign anything.
What to watch for
- Which arrangement and which social plan apply to you
- Whether your role is really eliminated or only changed
- Whether the reason for your redundancy holds up
- Whether the redeployment investigation was carried out seriously
- The terms of a departure proposal
How a reorganization at Dow unfolds
If your role disappears or changes, the process has a number of fixed moments at which something can be checked.
Advice from the works council
Dow submits the intended decision to the works council for advice and works out the plans afterwards. If the reorganization affects many employees at once, the rules on collective redundancy may come into play. These only require notification to UWV and consultation with the trade unions once the statutory conditions and threshold are met, including a certain number of intended dismissals within a working area and a period.
The selection: who becomes redundant
Dow does not freely choose who loses their role. Where positions are interchangeable, the reflection principle in principle determines the order, subject to statutory exceptions such as indispensable employees. At a large production site, it matters greatly how roles and shifts are classified and across which units the reflection is calculated; that depends on how the organization is set up and on the application of the Dismissal Regulation.
Redeployment, and only then a departure
Being made redundant is an interim step and not yet a dismissal. Before a departure comes into view, Dow must investigate whether there is a suitable position for you, if necessary after retraining and within a reasonable period. If none is available, a proposal for a settlement agreement usually follows, or Dow files a dismissal request with UWV.
What you can steer on yourself
- Request your employment contract, the applicable scheme and your status in writing
- If made redundant, have it recalculated how roles and shifts were classified
- Assess an offered position on level, content and roster
- Do not sign any scheme without having it independently reviewed first
What does this mean for you?
A reorganization at Dow follows the statutory rules for dismissal in a reorganization, supplemented by your employment contract and any social plan. On each of these points you have rights.
Objective selection
On the question of who becomes redundant, Dow is bound by fixed rules. Within interchangeable positions, the reflection principle in principle determines the order, subject to the statutory exceptions. If the classification of roles or shifts is off, your position may be stronger than it first appears.
A suitable position first
Dismissal may only come into view after it has been investigated whether there is a suitable position for you, if necessary after retraining and within a reasonable period. At a large complex with many different departments, that investigation can reach further than your own team. If it is skipped, a dismissal often does not hold up.
Your compensation
If your employment ends on Dow's initiative, you are in principle entitled to the statutory transition payment, unless a statutory exception applies. If a social plan provides an additional or different payment, that is generally on top of it. Check, or have it checked, whether the offer matches your years of service and your salary.
The settlement agreement
A departure almost always ends in a settlement agreement. It sets out your end date, the compensation and the final discharge, and the wording partly determines whether your unemployment benefit is preserved. Have the document checked before you sign.
Shift work, compensation and internationals
At a chemical company like Dow, your pay and your situation contain elements that are easily overlooked on departure.
Shift allowance and the final settlement
If you work in continuous shifts or a shift system, your shift allowance is a fixed part of your income. For the calculation of, for example, the transition payment and for an offer from a social plan, it can matter whether that allowance and other fixed pay components have been correctly included. Have it checked whether the final settlement and the basis used are correct.
Older employees and internationals
The chemical industry has relatively many experienced, older employees; for them the balance between a departure scheme and approaching retirement can be different. If you work as an international on a highly skilled migrant permit, for example at the research centre, a departure also affects your residence rights. Separate information is available on dismissal as an international.
Not sure whether your compensation is correct? Have your situation assessed before you agree.
What to watch for
- Whether your shift allowance is in the basis for the compensation
- Whether other fixed pay components have been included
- For older employees: the balance between a departure scheme and pension
- For internationals: your residence rights and the search period
- The end date and the final discharge in the agreement
What you can do now
If the reorganization at Dow also affects your role, first map out your own position before you agree to anything. The sooner you know where you stand, the more choices you still have.
- Request your employment contract, the applicable scheme and the proposal in writing
- Have it checked whether the reflection and the selection are correctly applied
- If many people leave at once, check whether the rules on collective redundancy apply and have been followed
- Have the compensation recalculated against your years of service, salary and allowances
- Do not sign a settlement agreement before it has been reviewed
Is there a departure proposal or a settlement agreement from Dow? Have us review it before you decide.
When should you involve us?
- You have received a departure proposal or settlement agreement
- Your role or shift is eliminated or reclassified
- You doubt whether the compensation and the redeployment are correct
- You want your shift allowance included in the compensation
- Your response deadline is running and you want clarity fast
Frequently asked questions
These are questions that Dow employees put to us in practice.
Do you have a departure proposal or settlement agreement from Dow in hand? Have us review it.
Are all the jobs being cut in Terneuzen?
According to the reporting, the largest share affects the Terneuzen site, but an official breakdown by department or location was not known at the time of the announcement. Whether and how your own role is affected only becomes clear during the process. Have your situation assessed as soon as you know more.
Does a collective agreement apply to me at Dow?
Dow does not fall under the collective agreement for the process industry. Your terms of employment therefore follow your employment contract and Dow's own arrangements. That makes it important to know exactly which arrangements and which social plan apply to your situation; have this checked for yourself.
I work in continuous shifts. Does my shift allowance count?
Your shift allowance is a fixed part of your income and can count towards the basis for, for example, the transition payment. Whether that has been done correctly depends on your payslips and the calculation used. Have the final settlement and the basis recalculated before you sign.
Am I entitled to compensation and is there a social plan?
If Dow ends the employment, you are in principle entitled to the statutory transition payment, unless a statutory exception applies. If there is a social plan with an additional or different payment, that is generally on top of it. The content of a social plan at Dow was not yet public at the time of the announcement; request the plan that applies to you in writing.
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