ZRVP Assisted UniCredit Bank On Employment Law Matters in Merger With Alpha Bank Romania

The employment law team included Cătălin Micu (partner and project coordinator), Marcela Brie (senior associate), Bianca Sfrija (senior associate), and Alexandra Racz (associate).

Zamfirescu Racoți Vasile & Partners (ZRVP) provided legal assistance to UniCredit Bank throughout the merger by absorption with Alpha Bank Romania, supporting the strategic management of the processes and transformations that such a project entails in the area of employment relations.

The employment law team worked with UniCredit Bank’s project team during the pre-merger phase to assess the absorbed organization, including identifying its structure, culture, and organizational policies, in order to determine synergies and potential risks.

Subsequently, the ZRVP team oversaw the planning and implementation of the employee integration process, which included:

• strategic communication with more than 4,800 employees of both entities;
• management of organizational changes;
• negotiation of collective agreements aimed at achieving the strategic objectives of the merger.

“By their nature, mergers are complex projects, especially when they involve people, organizational cultures, and changes in employment relations. In this context, the merger of UniCredit Bank with Alpha Bank Romania was a large-scale undertaking, and we are honored to have contributed to its success by ensuring an efficient employee integration process, in compliance with labor law regulations and observing the rights of all employees involved. The good collaboration with the key stakeholders in the project and the focus on effective communication within the organizations involved made it possible for all planned stages to be implemented and for the inherent challenges to be successfully overcome,” said Cătălin Micu, ZRVP Partner.

The ZRVP team involved in providing legal assistance included Cătălin Micu (partner and project coordinator), Marcela Brie (senior associate), Bianca Sfrija (senior associate), and Alexandra Racz (associate).

ZRVP’s employment law practice stands out both for its day-to-day legal assistance to a large number of multinational companies on all aspects of employment law, as well as for its representation in reorganizations, restructurings, business transfers, and collective negotiations. The team implemented the first ad integrum reorganization in Romania for Nextebank and acts as a “one-stop shop” for legal assistance and representation services for companies in the banking sector, both local and part of international banking groups. The department is also known for its experience in complex employment litigation, predominantly representing national and international clients in the financial, energy, and healthcare sectors.