Tata Steel, a massive Indian-owned steel manufacturer, declared on Monday that it would eliminate 800 positions at its understaffed plant in the Netherlands in an effort to "improve market conditions and bring down costs."For a while now, the steel industry has been in terrible shape. Tata Steel Netherlands said in a statement that it is "taking significant measures, including a reduction of 800 jobs in IJmuiden, near Amsterdam, to remain structurally competitive and profitable now and in the future."
About 500 full-time employees, mostly in management, staff, and support roles, will be impacted by the layoffs; an additional 300 temporary positions will also be eliminated.
The company stated that "forced redundancies cannot be ruled out" and that "the company will discuss a social plan with the unions."
Over 9,200 people work at the site. Tata Steel employs 11,500 people in the Netherlands in total.
Residents and health officials in the Netherlands have been increasingly critical of the Tata Steel facility, claiming it is the primary cause of pollution in the area's air, soil, and water and that it also causes illnesses.
Dutch prosecutors launched a criminal investigation into potential "intentional and unlawful" pollution in February of last year, and Tata Steel is currently dealing with a number of legal challenges.
According to Dutch emission officials, one of the biggest CO2 emitters in the nation is the Tata Steel plant.
The steelmaker's decision coincides with the UK government's September declaration that 3,000 jobs at Tata Steel's Talbot plant, Britain's largest steelworks, were in danger despite the government's pledge to provide £500 million ($621 million) to support the manufacture of "greener" steel at the facility.