News
ASML employees stage lunch-break strike to protest planned layoff of 1,700 workers
Saturday, March 28, 2026 at 07:34 AM
Over 1,000 ASML employees in the Netherlands staged a lunch-break strike to protest the company's plan to reduce its workforce by approximately 1,700 positions, which represents about 3.8% of its total employees.
Context
On March 24, 2026, more than 1,000 ASML employees participated in a lunchtime walkout at the company’s headquarters in Veldhoven, Netherlands. The protest, organized by labor unions FNV and CNV, targets a planned reorganization that includes the layoff of approximately 1,700 workers, or 3.8% of the global workforce. The cuts primarily impact IT and middle-management roles as the lithography giant seeks to streamline operations and restore technical agility following a period of rapid growth.
This labor unrest comes at a paradoxical time for ASML, which recently reported a €9.6 billion net profit for 2025 and record bookings of €13.2 billion driven by the AI boom. While management argues the cuts are necessary for innovation, unions point to a planned €12 billion share buyback and the proposed expansion of a second campus in Eindhoven as evidence that forced layoffs are unnecessary. Unions have demanded a fair social plan by April 7, 2026, to avoid further escalations.
Sources (8)
ASML Statement on Strengthening Focus on Engineering and Innovation ASML Plans to Cut 1,700 Jobs to Reduce Management Layers - BloombergASML employees join walkout, unions urge management to reconsider job cuts | ReutersASML workers still in the dark seven weeks after 1,700 management cuts announced — cuts represent 4% of its global workforce | Tom's HardwareDutch tech giant ASML to cut around 1,700 jobs even as orders beat expectations - CNAUnprecedented protest at ASML! Over a thousand employees ...ASML: Brief reportASML Employees Walk Out as Unions Protest Planned Job Cuts
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