Antwerp (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – TotalEnergies will close its oldest ethylene plant in Antwerp by 2027, affecting 253 workers. CEO plans no job losses, but unions, led by Levi Sollie, seek fair worker support during closure.
TotalEnergies is going to close one of its factories in Antwerp that makes ethylene by the end of 2027. Ethylene is used to make plastics and other things. The company is doing this because a big customer is not going to buy ethylene from them anymore.
TotalEnergies thinks it will be hard to find new buyers for their ethylene because there will be too much of it in Europe. This is because a new factory that makes ethylene is opening in Antwerp in 2026, and other factories are also being built.
How will TotalEnergies support workers affected by the Antwerp plant closure?
According to TotalEnergies, no one will lose their job because of the factory closure. The company will help the 253 workers find other jobs within the company or retire. The company is trying to make its business more efficient and competitive.
They mentioned that it’s hard to make money in the petrochemical industry right now because there’s not much demand for products, costs are high, and there are too many factories making things like ethylene.
TotalEnergies will keep its newer factory in Antwerp open and will use the ethylene it makes for its own businesses. The company is also thinking about changing some of its European factories into biorefineries that make renewable fuels. They’ve already done this at 2 other factories in France.
The company’s CEO told employees in October that they were planning to stop this activity. Unions will start talking with the company at the end of April 2025 to discuss how the closure will happen and to make sure workers are treated fairly.
“We are going to see whether a social plan is necessary, because a company is being closed down.”
The union leaders are worried about how the factory’s closure will affect the workers, even though TotalEnergies says no one will lose their job. They want a plan that makes sure workers are treated fairly.
They want to make sure the company helps workers who are affected by the closure, including those who might have a hard time finding new jobs. The unions will talk with the company to figure out how to support workers during this time of change.
