Just one investor has come forward with a proposal for the future of the Audi Brussels factory in Forest, but trade unions have been told that their plan for the site is not viable.
Audi Brussels management and unions met on Tuesday afternoon to discuss a social plan for workers, but the severance pay proposal unveiled by Audi Brussels was "far below expectations", according to union representative Ronny Liedts of ACV Metea.
In response to the "too low" severance proposal, employees temporarily stopped work at the Forest site on Tuesday afternoon, but resumed early on Wednesday morning.
According to Liedts and his FGTB colleague Pascal Debrulle, the unions will now work out a counter-proposal that will be presented next Wednesday, during a new consultation on the social plan.
No 'viable' buyer for Forest site
Earlier on Tuesday, unions were also told at a works council that only one prospective buyer for the Forest car plant had come forward, but did not put a viable plan on the table. The identity of the interested party is not known.
Potential buyers had until Monday 30 September to come forward. According to Christian trade unions CNE and ACV-Metea, management mentioned 26 potential investors, 13 of whom indicated that they were not interested. Of the remaining 13, only one proposed an interest in writing.
This candidate – a Belgian investor, according to a union source – has indicated that they want to take over half of the workforce, or 1,500 people, but subject to Audi's agreement to bear the costs of a possible restructuring for eight years.
The Audi group is not ready to accept this condition, according to the unions. They regret management's continued lack of clarity over the identity of this investor.
"Despite our insistence, we have not been told which investor or type of business it is," said unions. "It was clear to us that management itself does not really believe in a serious future project from this potential candidate."
No investment plan guarantees jobs
Peter d'Hoore, Communications Director at Audi Brussels, confirmed that the group has spoken to more than 20 potential investors over the past few weeks. However, he said that "unfortunately, at present, no potential investor is proposing a concept that would guarantee long-term employment on the site."
"What is important for us in the search for investors is that a potential investor can propose a viable and sustainable concept for the site and its employees," he said, adding that the main objective is to retain as many jobs as possible. "That's why we have intensively examined investors' concepts, particularly on this point."
No final decision has been made, according to d'Hoore, who added that potential investors can still express an interest. The one potential buyer who has put forward a proposal in writing has been given five days to clarify their plan.
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In July, Audi Brussels announced plans to restructure its site in Forest, which currently employs around 3,000 people. The German carmaker cited a slowdown in demand for the electric Q8 e-tron models produced in Brussels.
By September, it was confirmed that there are no plans to produce any Volkswagen Group car models at its Forest site in the coming years. A meeting between management and trade unions on Tuesday 17 Septemer confirmed that Audi Brussels has found no other economically viable use for the plant.
This means that finding an investor is now the only realistic hope to prevent closure, and the potential loss of 1,500 jobs from October, followed by a further 1,100 next year.
