Evonik Severance Pay: Job Cuts, Social Plan & Your Rights

Job cuts at Evonik: current situation

The Essen-based chemicals group Evonik announced in June 2026 that it plans to cut around 3,200 jobs worldwide, about 10% of its workforce, including around 2,150 in Germany. The cuts are planned for the period 2027 to 2029 (Handelsblatt; WirtschaftsWoche).

The company cites ongoing weakness in the chemicals industry, high costs and competitive pressure as reasons. Evonik is exiting its polyester business (around €150 million in annual revenue); the Witten site, with around 266 employees, is due to close in 2027. Since 2024, earlier savings and efficiency programmes have already been cutting around 2,800 jobs.

Team Abfindung is an independent provider and has no connection to Evonik Industries AG. We represent exclusively the interests of affected employees.

The numbers at a glance

• Around 3,200 jobs affected worldwide, about 10% of the workforce.
• Around 2,150 of these jobs are in Germany.
• Timeframe: 2027 to 2029.
• The Witten site (around 266 employees) is due to close in 2027; exit from the polyester business.
• An additional around 2,800 jobs from earlier programmes since 2024.

As of: June 2026 (sources: Handelsblatt, WirtschaftsWoche). Figures may change as the programme progresses.

Works council & social plan

In a business change of this scale, the employer and works council negotiate a reconciliation of interests (Interessenausgleich) (the whether, when and how) and a social plan (Sozialplan) (compensation for economic disadvantages) under §§ 111, 112 BetrVG. The social plan is a works agreement with direct legal effect; if no agreement is reached, it can be enforced through the conciliation committee (§ 112(4) BetrVG).

This is distinct from compensation for disadvantages under § 113 BetrVG: it applies if the employer carries out a business change without having attempted a reconciliation of interests with the works council, or deviates from it without compelling reason. In that case, affected employees can claim severance pay before the labour court.

Important for you: a social plan is a framework agreement, the individual offer presented to you must correctly implement the social plan in your specific case. That is exactly what we check.

Reviewing a voluntary offer

Before you accept a termination or voluntary offer, we typically check:

• Is the severance pay calculated correctly (gross salary, years of service, bonus components)?
• Are release from work, remaining leave, outstanding bonus entitlement and your reference properly settled?
• How does accepting it affect your unemployment benefit (ALG I)? A termination agreement can trigger a benefit suspension period (§ 159 SGB III); if severance pay is granted without observing the notice period, your entitlement can also be put on hold (§ 158 SGB III).
• What remains net after tax? The one-fifth rule (Fünftelregelung) can reduce the tax burden on severance pay.
• Would a transfer company (Transfergesellschaft) be a better option than taking the severance pay immediately?

There is no automatic, general entitlement to severance pay. As a guide, the rule of thumb is 0.5 to 1.0 gross monthly salaries per year of service, a reference figure, not a guarantee. With a social plan, amounts are often higher.

To see how the same calculation looks for a specific length of service, see our page on how severance pay is calculated after 20 years.

If you are dismissed anyway

If Evonik does issue dismissals for operational reasons, the three-week deadline under § 4 KSchG applies: an unfair dismissal claim must reach the labour court within three weeks of receiving the notice. In a co-determined business, the prospects of success are usually good, and proceedings often end with a settlement including severance pay.

How we work

1. Initial consultation at no cost to you: we review your offer or your dismissal.
2. Instructing us: litigation funding with no upfront payment.
3. Negotiation through our partner law firm MK Law.
4. Filing a claim if necessary at the competent labour court.
5. Settlement or judgment, usually severance pay agreed at the conciliation hearing.