Shell to slash 2,000 Netherlands jobs

Shell is cutting some 2 thousand jobs in the Netherlands. The oil company aims to get rid of 15 to 20 percent of the abut 10 thousand employees working in Amsterdam and Rijswijk as part of a cost cutting plan to cope with the low oil prices, AD reports. The company launched a voluntary departure scheme. Office staff with a salary of 75 thousand euros per year or higher can resign voluntarily for compensation. Employees can register for voluntary departure until July 1st. According to union FNV, Shell is hoping to avoid an official reorganization with the voluntary departure scheme. "Shell first wants to see whether enough employees volunteer", director Egbert Schellenberg said to the newspaper. Employees working at the Pernis refinery and the petrochemical complex in Moerdijk do not qualify for the voluntary departure scheme as those two branches already face staff shortages.