Restructuring events
European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
Saarstahl, a German steel work and part of Stahl-Holding-Saar, is going to cut 380 jobs by then end of 2026. The job cuts are a result of the parent group's plans to reduce the jobs of their subsidiaries in order to reduce costs. Doing so, the parent group hopes to overcome the crisis, caused by a lack of orders from the automotive industry, without a closure of their plants.
Redundancies for operational reasons have been ruled out. Affected employees can choose between a new position in another department, voluntary redundancy with severance pay, or a transfer to a transitional company. In April 2025, over 80% of union members at Saarstahl approved a transfer agreement, which includes reduced working hours and thus pay cuts. In return, the company has assured that there will be no site closures. For most of the 380 jobs to be cut, there are already workers who volunteered to leave the company via one of the offered channels.
Saarstahl currently employs 5,500 people. Its sister company Dillinger Hütte is equally affected by the parent group's cost reduction plans, which was recorded by the ERM Dillinger Hüttenwerke 2025 - DE.
Eurofound (2025), Saarstahl, Internal restructuring in Germany, factsheet number 203391, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://dev.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/203391.
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