On May 19, 2025, we spoke with Philips, including President and CEO Sylvia van Es. Members' questions were on the table, but answers were not forthcoming or remained vague.
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Conversation with Sylvia van Es
During the regular consultation and in a separate meeting with Philips, we submitted the members' questions and requested that they be addressed in detail.
Although the conversation was open in nature, it lasted only 45 minutes. Far too short to seriously discuss the concerns of our members at Philips. We therefore requested Philips to respond to the questions in writing. According to them, the conversation is sufficient, as is an earlier consultation. As far as we are concerned, that is completely insufficient.
Philips Response
Below is a selection of Philips' summary responses on May 19, 2025:
- The “local for local” strategy is seen as the right course, partly due to US trade tariffs.
- “Philips will remain in the Netherlands,” but the size of the deal remains quiet.
- The focus on healthcare technology is being strengthened, with an emphasis on cost-saving solutions such as remote diagnostics.
- The decentralization of clusters is seen as necessary, despite the impact on employees.
- It is unclear what the new target figure for staff reduction worldwide is now that the reduction of 10.000 FTE has been achieved (formulated when CEO Jacobs was appointed) and Philips has indicated in discussions with the trade unions that it will not stop there.
- The growing uncertainty among staff about their future at Philips is acknowledged, but according to the company there is (as yet) no major staff turnover. However, trade unions question this remark, precisely because of the continuing uncertainty among staff.
- Evaluations after works council processes are not standard, although this would be logical given the objectives of reorganisations.
- The reorganisations in 2023 and 2024 have reduced wage costs by €137,4 million.
- According to Philips, the concerns do not match the results of the employee satisfaction surveys. Our proposal to look together at how we can bridge these differences and communicate together was received with surprise and further ignored.
What do you think of this?
We think it is a missed opportunity by Philips to take the concerns seriously and to connect them to concrete actions. Let us know what you think about this. You can send your response to suat.koetloe@unie.nl. On June 16, 2025, we will speak with Philips again. We will then take the input into account.
Contact
If you have any questions following this message, please contact the advocate Suat Koetloe by email suat.koetloe@unie.nl.
