Tensions are rising between employees and management at Audi Brussels, as the company is due to hold a staff assembly today in which plans for the future of the Brussels assembly line are due to be announced.
In July, Audi Brussels officially announced plans to restructure its site in Forest, which currently employs more than 3,000 people. The company cited a slowdown in demand for the electric Q8 e-tron models produced in Brussels, as well as "long-standing structural challenges" with the site.
The restructuring has cast a shadow over the future of the factory, with the possibility that it could close altogether. If Audi Brussels decides to close the assembly line, it would potentially mean the loss of 1,500 jobs from October, and more than 1,100 additional jobs in 2025.
Closure would also be a blow for Belgium's once booming automotive industry and would leave Volvo's site in Ghent as the only large car factory left in the country.
Since restructuring was announced in July, resentment has been brewing among staff, with a large protest already planned for 16 September. A special business meeting held on Thursday failed to soothe tensions, with unions bemoaning the “scant concrete information” provided by management.
Production of the Audi e-tron at the Audi Brussels plant, in Vorst-Forest, Brussels. Credit: Belga / Eric Lalmand.
Audi Brussels is set to hold a staff assembly on Friday, with unions saying that announcements are expected. However, trade unions also say that they expect a low turnout from the Audi Brussels workforce at the meeting.
Choosing to host the staff meeting at Forest National, instead of the Audi Brussels site, hasn’t sat well with employees. One union representative alleges that “this choice is just a pretext to justify increased security measures and checks at the entrance”.
The Brussels-Midi Police Zone (Anderlecht, Forest, Saint-Gilles) are preparing to manage any potential disorder, aiming for de-escalation, according to a spokesperson.
A meeting will also take place this morning between national union representatives and the Brussels Employment Minister, Bernard Clerfayt. The Brussels employment office, Actiris, and Brussels Training will also be in attendance at this meeting.
