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Reorganization at Eneco
Is a reorganization affecting your role at Eneco, or is there a departure proposal on the table?
This page explains your position under Dutch employment law, which applies to everyone working in the Netherlands, including highly skilled migrants and international staff. Eneco is a Dutch energy company with its head office in Rotterdam, since 2020 owned by a Japanese consortium of Mitsubishi and Chubu. The company is in the middle of the energy transition: it invests heavily in wind, solar and heat, while at the same time demand for products such as heat pumps fell back and customer contact is being further digitalized. A reorganization here does not so much stem from decline as from a shift. What that means for you differs per role and depends on the collective agreement and any social plan.
Does this apply to you?
- Your role in customer contact, technology, trading or at the office is affected
- Your department is being trimmed, merged or automated
- You have been declared redundant, or you fear for your role
- You want to know what the works council can do for you
- Eneco 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 Eneco
At Eneco a striking contrast is at play: the company grows in sustainable energy and cuts costs at the same time. Those two movements side by side shape how a reorganization can turn out.
Growth and savings at once
Eneco puts substantial money into wind, solar and heat, and holds that course. Yet savings are being made elsewhere, partly because demand for some products fell back and parts of the work are being set up differently. Going greener therefore does not automatically mean that every role is kept.
A shift rather than a decline
The trigger for a reorganization here is often a shift in the market or in the way of working, for instance because customer contact is being further automated. Eneco states that it aims to use natural attrition where possible. For you personally the question remains whether, and how, your own role is affected.
The shape and scope of a reorganization can change as it goes. This page was made in July 2026 and describes the situation as it was known then.
In short
- Eneco is a Dutch energy company, head office in Rotterdam
- Since 2020 owned by the Japanese owners Mitsubishi and Chubu
- The company invests in wind, solar and heat
- At the same time it saves and digitalizes customer contact
- The works council plays an active role at Eneco
- Depending on the reorganization, a collective agreement and a social plan may apply
The works council and your voice in the reorganization
At Eneco employee participation is firmly anchored. That matters to you, because in a reorganization the works council has its own statutory powers.
The works council's right of advice
A proposed reorganization is a decision on which the works council may issue advice in advance under the Works Councils Act. The employer must await that advice and weigh it seriously before the decision becomes final. That can lead to adjustments to the plans or to better arrangements for the affected staff.
The route to the Enterprise Chamber
If the decision deviates from the advice, or the works council finds that the employer could not reasonably have reached that decision, the council can appeal to the Enterprise Chamber (Ondernemingskamer) within the statutory period. This is a right of the council, not of you personally, but strong employee participation can noticeably improve your collective position.
Want to know what employee participation means for you? Have your situation assessed.
What the works council watches
- Whether the advice was requested in good time and in full
- Whether the grounds for the reorganization hold up
- Whether reassignment was sufficiently considered
- What is arranged in the social plan
- Whether the decision could reasonably have been taken
Collective agreement, social plan and the energy sector
Besides the law, collective arrangements often determine how a reorganization plays out at Eneco. Knowing which apply to you is half the work.
Which collective agreement applies
In the energy sector a sector-wide collective agreement usually applies, supplemented by company arrangements made specifically for Eneco. Unions such as FNV and CNV are involved. Because part of your rights in a redundancy stems from those arrangements, it is wise to know which agreement bears on your role.
What a social plan adds
In a reorganization a social plan may apply, with arrangements on guidance towards other work, retraining and a payment. The precise content is not always public and may still be under negotiation. Request the plan that applies to your situation and have it worked out for you what it concretely yields.
Not sure what the collective agreement or social plan offers you? Have it assessed before you agree.
Find this out
- Which sector and company arrangements apply to you
- Whether a social plan applies and what its status is
- Which guidance and retraining have been arranged
- Whether the payment is higher than the statutory minimum
- What role the unions play in the process
How a reorganization at Eneco unfolds
A reorganization in the Netherlands goes through the fixed steps of a redundancy on economic grounds. At each of them there is something to check.
Decision and advice
Eneco puts a proposed reorganization to the works council, which issues advice on it. If many roles are hit in a short time, the rules on collective dismissal may come into play. 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
The employer does not decide alone 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 parts that is a point of attention in itself.
Reassignment within the group
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. At Eneco that investigation can extend across the various parts and brands of the 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
- Ask how the works council's advice went
- Gather your contract, payslip and the proposal
- Have it checked on which unit the reflection rests
- Ask whether reassignment within the group was investigated
- Do not respond for good while the proposal has not been assessed
What does this mean for you?
A reorganization at Eneco follows the statutory rules for dismissal on business-economic grounds, supplemented by the applicable collective agreement and any social plan. On each of those points you stand stronger than you might think.
Employee participation that counts
In a reorganization the works council has a statutory right of advice and can, if needed, put the decision to the Enterprise Chamber. That is a collective right, but a properly followed process can steer the plans and lead to better arrangements.
A verifiable selection
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 Eneco'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 your departure is arranged, that is done in a settlement agreement. It records 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.
What you can do now
If a reorganization at Eneco touches your role, make sure you know your position before you agree to anything. The earlier you know where you stand, the more room you keep.
- Follow what the works council and the unions do in the process
- Collect your employment contract, payslip and the collective agreement that applies
- Request the social plan and your personal proposal
- Have the reflection principle checked if you become redundant
- Ask whether reassignment within the Eneco group was investigated
- When a larger group is affected, check whether the rules on collective dismissal apply
- Do not sign a settlement agreement before it has been checked
Have you already received a proposal or a settlement agreement? Have us check it before you sign.
When should you bring us in?
- Eneco has given you a departure proposal
- Your department is being trimmed, merged or automated
- You doubt whether the selection and the payment are right
- You want to know what the works council means in your case
- You are under time pressure to respond and want to know what is wise
Frequently asked questions
These are questions Eneco staff bring to us in practice.
Do you have a departure proposal or settlement agreement from Eneco in hand? Let us review it.
Eneco is in Japanese hands. Does Dutch employment law then apply?
Yes. Even though the shares are held by Japanese owners, your employer is the Dutch Eneco company with which you have your contract. A reorganization and a dismissal therefore proceed under Dutch employment law.
Eneco says it is cutting jobs through "natural attrition". What does that mean?
It means the company wants to absorb the reduction as much as possible by not replacing departing staff and hiring fewer people. Still, your role can be affected anyway. If you receive a concrete proposal, have it assessed.
What can the works council do for me?
The works council has a statutory right of advice in a reorganization and can, if needed, put the decision to the Enterprise Chamber. That is a collective right and not a substitute for your own legal protection, but strong participation can contribute to better arrangements or an adjustment of the reorganization.
I am covered by a collective agreement and possibly a social plan. What does that mean?
A collective agreement and a social plan can supplement your rights, for example with guidance, retraining or a higher payment. Which arrangements apply to you weighs on your position. Request the right documents and have them talked through with you.
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