Cement manufacturer ENCI announced plans Tuesday to cut 270 jobs in the Netherlands and a further 200 in Belgium.
A subsidiary of Heidelberg Cement, ENCI employs 1200 workers in the Netherlands and most job losses will take place in Maastricht, but the grinding plant will continue to operate in the southern Dutch city.
Further job losses are also expected to take place in IJmuiden and Rotterdam, Dutch public news service NOS reported.
ENCI also opted to end operations at the Sint Pietersberg marl quarry. Marl is a mixture of clay, calcium and magnesium carbonates and remnants of shells and is used as fertiliser for lime-deficient soils.
The company recently gained a permit to continue operations at Sint-Pietersberg in a bid to protect jobs. But the decision met with vocal protests from the Stop ENCI foundation, which campaigned for an end of operations at the quarry.
The company resolved to reduce its workforce due to continued over-production.
