Only for employees
Reorganization at DSM-Firmenich
Is the merger, the change of course or a sale of a unit affecting your role at DSM?
This page explains your position under Dutch employment law, which applies to everyone working in the Netherlands, including highly skilled migrants and international staff. DSM, originally rooted in Dutch mining, has since the 2023 merger been part of the listed group DSM-Firmenich. In recent years the company shifted from chemicals and materials towards food, health and fragrance, with sites in Geleen, Delft and the Maastricht region among others. That shift comes with post-merger integration and with divesting or selling business units. What that means for you differs greatly: an ordinary reorganization follows different rules than when your unit passes as a whole to a new owner.
Does this apply to you?
- Your role is affected by the merger or the integration
- Your business unit is being divested or sold
- You are redundant, or you see a reorganization coming your way
- You work in R&D, production, or a central or office function
- DSM is offering you a departure arrangement or settlement agreement
Why employees turn to ReorgLegal
ReorgLegal specialises in reorganizations and works solely 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 any proposal assessed before you agree to it.
The situation at DSM-Firmenich
At DSM three movements currently run through one another: the merger into DSM-Firmenich, the shift towards a consumer-oriented company, and the sale of units that no longer belong to the core.
Merger and integration
After a merger, systems, departments and supporting functions are combined. Where tasks overlap, that can lead to a redesign of roles. For central and office functions that is more often the trigger for redundancy than for people in direct production.
A changing portfolio
DSM-Firmenich focuses increasingly on food, health and fragrance, and divests activities that fit less well with that. If your unit is sold, it is not so much a matter of dismissal, but of a possible transfer to a new owner. That is legally a very different track, with its own rules and protection.
The state of affairs around a reorganization or sale can change quickly. This page was drawn up in July 2026 and describes what was known then.
In short
- DSM has been part of DSM-Firmenich since 2023
- Sites in Geleen, Delft and the Maastricht region among others
- The course shifted from chemicals to food, health and fragrance
- Merger integration often hits central and office functions
- On the sale of a unit, a transfer of undertaking may apply
- A reorganization and a transfer are two different legal tracks
Is your unit being sold? Watch for a transfer of undertaking
At DSM-Firmenich this is the topic that is often underestimated. A sale of your department is something other than a reorganization, and the law protects you in its own way here.
Your rights transfer in principle
If your business unit is transferred as a whole to another company, there may be a transfer of undertaking. In that case your employment contract and the rights and obligations attached to it pass in principle by operation of law to the new employer, and you may not be dismissed merely because of that transfer itself.
Still a number of points of attention
Whether there is precisely a transfer of undertaking depends on the circumstances, and on aspects such as your pension special rules or exceptions may apply. The new owner may also pursue a different policy. So especially on a sale, have it worked out what actually changes for you before you agree to anything.
Is your unit going to a new owner? Have your position assessed before you sign anything.
With a transfer, watch for
- Whether it is a transfer of undertaking or an ordinary dismissal
- Whether your terms, salary and seniority carry over
- What happens to your pension
- Which policy the new owner pursues
- Whether, instead of transferring, you can or want to choose to leave
Collective protection: collective agreement and social plan
At a company like DSM you rarely stand alone. Besides the statutory rules, collective arrangements often determine how a reorganization or transfer plays out in practice.
The collective agreement and the unions
Many DSM staff in the Netherlands are covered by a collective agreement, in which unions such as FNV, CNV and De Unie are involved. Those same unions also join the consultation on a reorganization or a sale of a unit. Because part of your rights in a redundancy comes straight from that agreement, it is wise to know which arrangements apply to you.
What a social plan arranges
If there is a reorganization, a social plan may go with it. Such a plan usually describes how redundancy is cushioned, with a reassignment or mobility track, guidance towards other work and a payment. What exactly it contains is not always public. So request the plan that applies to your case and have it worked out for you what it means.
Unsure what the collective agreement or social plan gives you? Have it assessed before you commit.
What to watch for
- Under which collective agreement your role falls
- Whether a social plan exists for this situation
- Which reassignment or mobility track has been arranged
- Whether the payment exceeds the statutory minimum
- What the works council and the unions can do for you
How a reorganization at DSM unfolds
In an ordinary reorganization, that is without a transfer of your unit, the fixed steps of a dismissal for economic reasons apply. Each step offers a moment to have something checked.
Decision and employee participation
DSM first submits a proposed reorganization to the works council, which issues advice on it. With a group-wide intervention a central works council can come into play too. If the intervention hits many roles in a short time, the rules on collective dismissal can come to apply. They only oblige a notification to the UWV and consultation with the trade unions once the statutory conditions are met, in particular when the number of intended dismissals within a working area and a given period passes the statutory threshold.
Selection and reflection
DSM may not choose for itself who becomes redundant. Where positions are mutually interchangeable, at its core the reflection principle sets the order, leaving aside the statutory exceptions. Which unit that reflection is applied to follows from the set-up of the business and the Dismissal Regulation (Ontslagregeling); at a company with several sites that is a point of attention in itself.
Reassignment and the group context
Before dismissal is on the table, it must be investigated whether there is a suitable position for you, if necessary after retraining and within a reasonable period. That investigation can reach beyond your own unit, but not simply because DSM is an international group. What is decisive is whether those other positions belong to the business or group for which your employer has a reassignment obligation under Article 7:669 of the Dutch Civil Code and the Dismissal Regulation.
At every step there is something to do
- Verify whether the works council was consulted for advice
- Request the collective agreement, the social plan and your proposal on paper
- Have it examined within which unit the reflection was applied
- Check whether reassignment was truly looked into
- Do not agree to an arrangement you have not had assessed
What does this mean for you?
Whether you face a reorganization or a sale, on various points you have rights that go further than many people think.
Protection on a transfer
If your unit passes as a whole to a new owner, there may be a transfer of undertaking. Your employment contract and rights then transfer in principle, and dismissal merely because of that transfer is not allowed. Whether this applies and what it means for your pension deserves its own assessment.
A verifiable selection
In an ordinary reorganization, within interchangeable positions at its core the reflection principle sets who becomes redundant, save for the statutory exceptions. Which unit the calculation runs over follows from the set-up of the business and the Dismissal Regulation; an incorrect definition can affect your position.
Your payment and the social plan
If your employment ends on DSM's initiative and reassignment does not succeed, you are usually entitled to the statutory transition payment. If a social plan provides an additional or different arrangement, it generally comes on top of that, unless the law makes an exception.
The settlement agreement
If you choose to leave, that is recorded in a settlement agreement. It sets out your end date, the payment and the final discharge. How the document is worded weighs on whether you keep your unemployment benefit rights, so have it checked before you sign.
What you can do now
If a reorganization or a sale at DSM touches your role, make sure you know your position before you agree to anything. The first thing that matters is which track applies to you.
- Find out whether it is a reorganization or a transfer of your unit
- Trace which DSM company you have your contract with
- Request the collective agreement, the social plan and your personal proposal in writing
- On redundancy, have the reflection principle checked
- On a sale, have it worked out what happens to your terms and pension
- If a larger group is involved, check whether the rules on collective dismissal apply
- Sign no settlement agreement until it has been reviewed
Is there a departure proposal or a settlement agreement from DSM? Let us review it before you decide for good.
When should you bring us in?
- DSM has given you a departure proposal or settlement agreement
- Your unit is being divested, sold or merged
- You doubt whether to transfer to a new owner or to leave
- You doubt whether the selection and the payment are correct
- Your response period is running and you want to know where you stand
Frequently asked questions
These are questions DSM staff bring to us in practice.
Do you have a departure proposal or settlement agreement from DSM in hand? Let us review it.
My department is being sold. Will I be dismissed?
Not necessarily. If your unit passes as a whole to another company, there may be a transfer of undertaking. Your employment contract and rights then transfer in principle to the new owner, and dismissal merely because of that transfer is not allowed. What exactly changes deserves its own assessment.
We have merged. Does that mean my job is safe?
Not automatically. A merger can actually lead to combining overlapping roles, which creates redundancy, especially in central and supporting functions. Whether your role is affected depends on the concrete set-up after the merger.
Who is my employer in a dismissal?
Your employer is the Dutch DSM company with which you concluded your employment contract. It carries out the reorganization, even though it is part of the international, listed group DSM-Firmenich. The name is on your contract and your payslip.
I am covered by a collective agreement and a social plan. What does that mean?
A collective agreement and a social plan can supplement your rights, for example with a reassignment or mobility track, guidance or a higher payment. Which arrangements apply to you helps decide your position. Request the right documents and have them explained to you.
Received a settlement agreement? Get a free review.
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