The labour dispute at Audi Brussels remains frozen for now, with trade unions and the Audi management calling for dialogue but showing little promise of reaching a compromise.
On Tuesday morning, workers have lined up at the gates of the Brussels car factory – although their numbers are said to be slowly reducing, according to the unions.
At the heart of the deadlock is a significant industrial dispute. After a nearly two-month standstill, the factory was due to restart operations.
Still, complications arose when it was definitively announced the factory would not be allocated a new model, leading to increased tensions.
Workers gathered outside of the Audi Brussels plant, in Forest, Brussels, Monday 09 September 2024. Credit: Belga / Jonas Roosens
Trade unions are holding on to approximately 200 car keys in protest. In reaction, management has decided to close the factory and halt payments to workers, with threats of legal action also in the fray.
The unions have secured the services of a bailiff to enforce a ‘lock-out’ of the enterprise, preventing workers wanting to break the strike from gaining access to the site.
The unions and management express hopes for reconciliation, despite no concrete agreements.
