A month and a half after the break: one in three former Van Hool workers have a brand new job

On April 8, Van Hool, which constructed buses, coaches and industrial automobiles in Koningshooikt (Lier), was declared bankrupt. Greater than a month and a half later, one in three former Van Hool workers has a brand new job. That is 800 individuals. 600 of them have a everlasting contract and 200 individuals work on an interim foundation. Of those 200 short-term employees, half of them are at present working with the GRW firm in South Africa. This completes the economic automobiles on the Van Hool web site that weren’t but accomplished on the time of the breach.

Higher than others

One out of three individuals have a everlasting job a month and a half after the break, is that actually true? “Sure,” says Bjorn Cuyt, regional director of the Flemish Vocational Employment and Coaching Service (VDAB). “In earlier breaches of the identical measurement, just one in 4 or one in 5 had one other job after a month and a half. We organized a job honest on Tuesday within the Nekkerhal in Mechelen, which attracted many former Van Hool workers. There have been extra vacancies provided at that job honest than the roles misplaced at Van Hool.”

About half of the 1,600 former Van Hool workers who haven’t but began work attended the job honest. “Of those 1,600 individuals, greater than 1,100 individuals are additionally going out of the place. They get intensive steerage in the direction of a brand new job,” mentioned Bjorn Cuyt. “The opposite employees who haven’t began work are nonetheless following regular mediation at VDAB. Some additionally hope that they’ll nonetheless work on the Van Hool web site, for the GRW firm or for VDL.”

Agree

GRW is at present using 100 short-term employees on the Van Hool web site. Within the coming months, GRW wish to make use of as much as 350 individuals in Koningshooikt on a everlasting contract to fabricate new industrial automobiles.

“In earlier main bankruptcies, just one in 4 or one in 5 had one other job after a month and a half.”

Bjorn Cuyt

VDAB

The Dutch firm VDL desires to make use of between 300 and 600 individuals on the Van Hool web site. The corporate wish to make elements for different factories of the VDL Group. VDL has not but began hiring individuals for Koningshooikt, however that might change quickly. As of this week, the corporate has acquired approval from all competitors watchdogs within the international locations the place they’re lively, in order that the takeover of Van Hool’s operations can now proceed.

800 extra jobs gone

There’s additionally some excellent news. A examine by the accounting agency KPMG reveals that the Van Hool breach has not solely led to 2,400 direct redundancies. In accordance with KPMG, 726 to 973 jobs can even be misplaced at Van Hool suppliers. So about eight hundred, to place it extra merely. The suppliers should not talked about by identify and it isn’t greater than an estimate, nevertheless it signifies that the variety of job losses as a result of Van Hool breach will considerably exceed 3,000.

However that doesn’t routinely imply that the world round Mechelen and the Kempen is headed for an financial downturn. “The KPMG examine additionally reveals that the variety of doubtlessly fascinating vacancies within the Mechelen-Kempen space is twice as giant because the variety of direct and oblique job losses as a result of Van Hool chapter, ” mentioned Wim Brillouet, spokesman for the enterprise group. Voka Mechelen – Kempen.

The Heist firm has already taken over twenty former Van Hool workers

The corporate Baltimore Aircoil from Heist-op-den-Berg, which manufactures refrigeration vessels for business, has already employed greater than twenty Van Hool employees. One of many causes could also be that nearly each Van Hool worker is aware of one in all Baltimore Aircoil’s personnel managers. “I’ve labored for Van Hool for twenty-four years and I have been working in Baltimore Aircoil’s HR division for eight months,” mentioned Tom Dille. “I left Van Hool earlier than the break, as a result of I anticipated an enormous restructuring to occur. Many individuals from Van Hool know me, however in fact there are different the reason why many former Van Hool workers come to work for us. We’re situated in the identical sector, we’re additionally within the metallic sector and we’re on the lookout for roughly the identical technical profiles. “

Baltimore Aircoil employs 340 individuals in Heist-op-den-Berg and has greater than ten vacancies, each for blue-collar and white-collar employees. “We now have additionally employed individuals over 50 and even over 60 from Van Hool,” mentioned Elisa Goossens, who can also be Baltimore Aircoil’s personnel director. “Lots of people solely labored for Van Hool after college and did not know every other employer. However that additionally means they’re loyal to their firm and have lots of expertise.” (whistle)

Van Hool’s grandson grabs a bone (for now).

The company courtroom in Antwerp has rejected the abstract proceedings introduced by the funding fund CIM Capital towards the sale of Van Hool. CIM Capital was based by Marc Van Hool, one of many grandsons of Bernard Van Hool, who based the defunct bus firm. CIM Capital desires to take over the industrial automobile division from Van Hool, however the trustees assigned that division to GRW. The courtroom rejects towards CIM Capital and its companions Delcrinvest and the corporate Mechelen Lasertek, as a result of the events are primarily collectors of Van Hool. Due to this fact they can not present a transparent drawback in Van Hool’s sale to GRW. CIM Capital and Delcrinvest should not even collectors. Lasertek owes just a few thousand euros, out of a complete debt that runs into tens of millions.

However the group round CIM Capital just isn’t prepared but. As a result of on June 10, they’ll once more clarify to the decide in one other process why they assume the sale to GRW is with out purpose. The choice will come later. (whistle)