Anglo-Dutch steel concern Corus announced on Tuesday that it has been given the go-ahead to introduce short-time working for 1,100 of its full-time workers at its IJmuiden works.

The company has been hit by a drop in the demand for steel since the credit crisis began.
Last week truck makers DAF was given permission to cut working hours for 3,000 workers. This brought the number of firms operating under short-time working to 136, reports news agency Novum.
Tuesday’s Parool, the local Amsterdam paper, reports that unions and employers are pressing the government to relax the rules on short-time working.
Turnover fall
Currently companies applying must prove to the social affairs ministry that turnover has dropped by a minimum of 30% over two months, says the paper. This means companies expecting the requisite fall in turnover in December have been turned down.
Short-time working has been extended temporarily to cover economic developments but unions and employers say the ruling should be extended beyond its current cut-off date of January 15.