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IBM France
Main severance
Details not public
Health cover
Statutory portability
Status
Signed
Positions affected
1,251 positions (~25% France headcount) — mainly GTS-IS entity
Context
Why the plan was launched and who is affected
Plan type
Strategic refocus
Sites affected
Mainly GTS-IS entity (Global Technology Services - Infrastructure Services) — sites Bois-Colombes, Montpellier, Lyon
Rationale & context
2020-2021 PSE at IBM France targeting GTS-IS entity (infrastructure services), consequence of IBM group strategy to refocus on cloud and AI and spin-off managed services activity under Kyndryl entity (effectively spun off November 2021). 1,251 cuts of ~5,000 France headcount, ~25%. Particularity: use of forced layoffs despite IBM PSE history of mostly voluntary. Labour Inspectorate had refused in parallel many individual mutual terminations 'masking' a collective plan.
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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.
Syntec collective indemnity (IDCC 1486)
Underlying formula · Managers with ≥ 2 years' seniority: 1/3 month per year from year 1, capped at 12 months. Non-managers: legal minimum.
Supra-legal top-up
The amount negotiated by unions ON TOP OF the legal and collective minimum. Often the largest part of the package.
Details not public
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 · Syntec collective agreement (IDCC 1486) — Managers: 3 months. Non-managers: 1 to 3 months depending on seniority.
Example — rough estimate
For a manager (cadre) employee with 5 years of seniority and €3,500 gross/month:
| Collective severance | (1.5 months × €3,500) | €5,250 |
| Supra-legal severance | — | Not publicly disclosed |
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.
Notes & sources
Additional information and references
Notes
2020-2021 PSE — largest IBM social plan in France. 1,251 departures planned (initially announced 1,180-1,385). Main target: GTS-IS entity (Global Technology Services - Infrastructure Services), preparing the Kyndryl spin-off effectively executed November 2021. Particularity: use of FORCED LAYOFFS (not only voluntary) — all unions (UNSA, CFE-CGC, CFDT, CFTC, CGT) unanimously filed a motion against. Model case of unified union contestation.
Support
Outplacement, training, retraining aid and mobility
No one has documented this point for this plan yet. If you've been through it or have the document, your help will make this file useful to the next person.
Selection
How departures are decided — criteria and voluntary scheme
No one has documented this point for this plan yet. If you've been through it or have the document, your help will make this file useful to the next person.
📄 L'Usine Nouvelle — IBM plan social le plus massif en France · View source →