Evonik Industries, the speciality chemicals company, said on Monday that its pre-tax loss from ongoing operations was €20 million in the fourth quarter, lower than the €251 million loss for the same quarter a year ago. The company also announced its decision to slash up to 2,000 jobs globally involving about 1,500 jobs in Germany, including management positions. “We must not delude ourselves, even if there are slight signs of a recovery: What we are currently experiencing are not cyclical fluctuations, but massive, consequential changes of our economic environment,” Christian Kullmann, chairma…