Dutch govt clears Corus work time cuts from Jan

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Tata Steel unit Corus has won government approval to cut the work hours of thousands of Dutch staff for six weeks beginning in January, the company said on Tuesday.

The total number of hours cut will add up to the equivalent of 1,100 full-time jobs over the six-week period, Corus said.

Corus had applied in early December for the Dutch government scheme, which pays part of the affected workers' unemployment benefits.

A Corus spokesman said at the time that the reduction would be spread across 6,400 workers who would each work one day less per week over six weeks.