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Bridgestone Béthune
Main severance
€40,000 + €1,500/yr (+ prejud.)
Health cover
Statutory portability
Status
Signed
Positions affected
863 positions (total closure)
Context
Why the plan was launched and who is affected
Plan type
Site closure
Sites affected
Béthune (Pas-de-Calais) — total closure of historic site (since 1961)
Rationale & context
Total closure announced September 2020. Bridgestone's official rationale: European overcapacity, loss of competitiveness vs. Asian imports on low-cost passenger-tyre segment. Long negotiation (32 meetings over 5 months) involving the State (prefect) and the territory. Emblematic case of Northern France industrial closures. Outside 2023-2025 range but included as a historical benchmark of a well-negotiated closure.
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Severance
What employees received — legal base, supra-legal, caps
Legal / collective indemnity
This is the minimum guaranteed by your sector's collective agreement. Paid to every affected employee on top of the statutory legal indemnity.
Metallurgy collective indemnity
Underlying formula · 1/4 month per year up to 7 years, then 1/3 month beyond (slightly improved vs. legal minimum which caps at 10 years).
Supra-legal top-up
The amount negotiated by unions ON TOP OF the legal and collective minimum. Often the largest part of the package.
€40,000 gross flat + €1,500 gross per year of seniority
Notice period
Period between the dismissal notification and the actual departure. The employee remains paid during this time, whether they work or not.
Not specified in the PSE.
Collective minimum · Metallurgy agreement (IDCC 3248) — Managers: 3 months. Non-managers: 1 to 2 months by classification and seniority.
Example — rough estimate
For a non-manager employee with 5 years of seniority and €3,500 gross/month:
| Collective severance | (1.25 months × €3,500) | €4,375 |
| Supra-legal severance | €40,000 + (5 × €1,500) | €47,500 |
| Estimated gross total | €51,875 | |
Very rough illustrative estimate. Your actual amount depends on your exact reference salary (max of 1/12 of last 12 months or 1/3 of last 3 months, bonuses included — art. R1234-4 French Labour Code), your precise status (manager/non-manager/ETAM), your hire date and your individual situation. For a personalized calculation of the legal indemnity, use the official French Ministry of Labour simulator.
Support
Outplacement, training, retraining aid and mobility
Device type
The scheme to help you find a new job: reclassement leave, CSP, or another mechanism.
Reclassification leave
Selection
How departures are decided — criteria and voluntary scheme
Voluntary departures
| Conditions | Site closed in totality — all employees affected, no selective voluntary scheme |
Who can apply for voluntary departure and under what conditions.
Notes & sources
Additional information and references
Notes
Effective average indemnity ≈ €106,000 per employee. 32 negotiation meetings. All unions signed the final agreement — rare outcome in a site closure, sign of an ultimately satisfactory deal. Historical benchmark for French industrial closures.
- Complete closure of the Bridgestone Béthune plant — 863 jobs eliminated.
- Average effective indemnity ≈ €106,000 per employee.
- Formula: €40,000 flat + €1,500/year + €6,500 damages + €1,000/year of presence.
- 32 negotiation meetings between management and unions.
- All representative unions signed the final agreement — rare outcome in a site closure, sign of a finally satisfactory agreement.
- Historical benchmark for industrial site closures in France.
📄 France Bleu — Accord PSE Bridgestone Béthune (févr. 2021) · View source →