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Reorganization at Gasunie
Is your role at Gasunie changing with the shift to new energy, 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. Gasunie is the operator of the Dutch gas grid, wholly owned by the State, with its head office in Groningen. Unlike many companies on this site, a change here does not stem from decline: Gasunie has grown in recent years and invests heavily in the energy transition, from hydrogen and heat transport to the storage of CO2. The uncertainty therefore lies less in mass redundancy and more in what that shift does to your role, and in the fact that the collective departure scheme is currently not settled. What this means for you depends on your role and on the arrangements that apply to you.
Does this apply to you?
- Your role is shifting from natural gas to hydrogen or new tasks
- Your department is being restructured or merged
- You are being asked to retrain or change roles
- Redundancy has already been raised, or you expect it
- Gasunie is offering you a departure arrangement or settlement agreement
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 to it.
The situation at Gasunie
Gasunie is at the start of a long rebuild of the energy system. That means growth and shift at the same time: new tasks added, old tasks changing shape.
From natural gas to new energy
The natural gas era is winding down, marked by the closure of the Groningen field. At the same time, Gasunie is building a national hydrogen network, heat transport and infrastructure for CO2. As a result, its workforce has grown in recent years rather than shrunk. A reorganization here is therefore rarely about a large round of dismissals, and more often about restructuring teams and roles.
What that means for you
For you, the shift can go in different directions. Your role may move to a new technology, your tasks may change, or your department may be merged. If your role is affected, the question is what exactly is agreed with you, and whether the arrangement you are offered is actually sound.
Plans in a reorganization can still change along the way. This page was drawn up in July 2026 and reflects the state of affairs at that time.
In brief
- Gasunie operates the Dutch gas grid, head office in Groningen
- Its shares are wholly owned by the State
- Growth through the energy transition: hydrogen, heat and CO2
- Around 2,500 employees, most of them in the Netherlands
- Its own collective agreement, with FNV, CNV, De Unie and VPG2
- The collective departure scheme was not settled in mid-2026
Without a fixed social plan, your own position weighs more heavily
At many large employers a social plan is ready to arrange departure and support. At Gasunie that was exactly the uncertain point in mid-2026: the existing social plan had expired and a successor was still being negotiated.
What a missing plan means
A social plan sets out what you can count on if you become redundant, for example support, training and compensation. As long as no new plan applies, a departure may have to be arranged case by case rather than through a fixed, collective scheme. That is precisely when what you agree yourself matters, and precisely when it is wise to have a proposal assessed before you sign.
Do not let yourself be pressured
If a collective arrangement is missing, you fall back on the law and on your individual agreements. That is not a weak position, but one that calls for precision. Have someone check whether an offered payment fits your years of service and salary, and whether the conditions are reasonable.
Not sure which arrangement applies to you? Have it clarified.
Find this out
- Whether a new social plan now applies
- What that plan arranges on support and compensation
- Whether your departure is arranged case by case or via a fixed scheme
- Whether the offered payment fits your years of service and salary
- What deadline you are given to respond
State-owned, its own collective agreement and works council
The fact that the State is the sole shareholder changes nothing about the rules that apply to your employment contract. You work at an ordinary company, under Dutch employment law.
Your employer remains Gasunie
The shares are public, but your contract is with N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie. A reorganization and any dismissal therefore follow the same statutory rules as at a private company. The ministry is a shareholder, not an employer, and does not decide on your individual terms of employment.
The works council does not depend on the collective agreement
Gasunie has its own collective agreement and a works council. That council's powers derive from the Works Councils Act and do not depend on the collective agreement. For a proposed reorganization, the works council may give advice in advance; the employer must await it and weigh it seriously before taking a decision.
Do you doubt whether the process was properly followed? Have it assessed.
What often plays a role at Gasunie
- Your role falls under Gasunie's own collective agreement
- The works council advises on the reorganization
- Separate schemes apply to heavy or shift work
- Training changes your role, not automatically your rights
- State ownership does not change your dismissal protection
How a reorganization at Gasunie unfolds
A reorganization that stems from growth and change also follows the fixed steps of an economic dismissal in the Netherlands. At each step there is something to examine.
Justification and advice
Gasunie must make an economic reason plausible and put a proposed reorganization to the works council. If many roles are affected in a short period, the rules on collective redundancy may come into play. They only require notification to the UWV and consultation with the unions once the statutory conditions are met, including where the number of intended dismissals within a working area and a set period reaches the statutory threshold.
Selection and the reflection principle
The employer does not choose freely who becomes redundant. Where roles are interchangeable, the reflection principle essentially determines the order, subject to the statutory exceptions. The unit on which that reflection is applied follows from the organizational structure of the company and the Dismissal Regulation; at a company divided into business lines, that is a point of attention in itself.
Reassignment and retraining
Before dismissal is at issue, it must be examined whether there is a suitable role for you, if necessary after training and within a reasonable period. At a company investing in new technologies, that question is all the more real. What matters is whether those other positions belong to the company or group for which your employer has a reassignment obligation under Article 7:669 of the Dutch Civil Code and the Dismissal Regulation.
At each step there is something to do
- Check how the works council's advisory process went
- Collect your contract, your payslips and the proposal you received
- Have someone verify which group the reflection was based on
- Ask whether training into another role was examined
- Do not agree definitively before the proposal is assessed
What does this mean for you?
A reorganization at Gasunie follows the statutory rules for economic dismissal, supplemented by its own collective agreement and, where it exists, a social plan. On each of those points there is more to check than it seems.
Change, not a blank cheque
The shift to new energy is a reason to restructure roles, but not a blank cheque for dismissal. Gasunie must make it plausible that your role specifically disappears and that reassignment or retraining is not possible. That can be tested.
A selection that can be checked
Within interchangeable roles, the reflection principle essentially determines who becomes redundant, subject to the statutory exceptions. Which unit is used follows from the company's structure; an incorrect boundary can affect your position.
Your compensation
If your employment ends on Gasunie's initiative and reassignment is not possible, you are usually entitled to the statutory transition payment. If a social plan offers an additional or different arrangement, that is generally on top of it, unless the law provides an exception.
The settlement agreement
If you arrange your departure by mutual consent, you record it in a settlement agreement. That document sets, among other things, your end date, your compensation and the mutual discharge. The exact wording also affects your unemployment benefit, so have it checked.
What you can do now
If a change at Gasunie affects your role, make sure you know your position before you agree to anything. The sooner you know where you stand, the more room you retain.
- Find out whether a new social plan now applies to you
- Keep your contract, recent payslips and the proposal to hand
- Have the reflection reviewed if you are declared redundant
- Ask whether a suitable role or retraining was examined
- If you do heavy or shift work, factor in your end-of-career scheme
- Check with a large group whether the rules on collective redundancy apply
- Do not sign a settlement agreement until it has been reviewed
Is there already a proposal or settlement agreement from Gasunie? Have us check it before you sign anything.
When should you involve us?
- Gasunie has given you a departure proposal
- Your role or department is changing shape significantly
- You question whether the reflection or the compensation is correct
- There is no clear social plan and you want to know where you stand
- Your response deadline is running and you want to know what is wise
Frequently asked questions
These are questions Gasunie employees put to us in practice.
Do you have a departure proposal or settlement agreement from Gasunie in hand? Have us review it.
Gasunie is actually growing. Can I still lose my role?
Yes, you can. Growth and reorganization do not rule each other out: while new tasks are added, existing roles can disappear or change shape. If your role is affected, the rules for economic dismissal simply apply, with reassignment and, where needed, training as the first step.
There is no social plan right now. What does that mean for me?
Without a plan in force, a departure may have to be arranged case by case rather than through a fixed, collective scheme. You then fall back on the law and your own agreements. Have an offered arrangement checked carefully, because there is no collective safety net beneath you to hold on to.
Gasunie is state-owned. Does ordinary Dutch employment law still apply?
Yes. Even though the shares are held by the State, your employer is the Dutch Gasunie company with which you have your contract. A reorganization and a dismissal therefore follow the same employment law as at a private company.
I am asked to retrain for a hydrogen role. Do I have to?
That depends on the circumstances. The employer must first make it plausible that the role is suitable and that the training can reasonably be asked of you. Only once those conditions are met does the question arise whether you may refuse a suitable reassignment offer. Training also changes your role, but not automatically your rights or terms of employment. So have the offer assessed to see exactly what it involves, especially if your salary or position also changes.
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