Outgoing Prime Minister Alexander De Croo met with Audi Brussels management and trade unions on Wednesday, as he called on both parties to "develop a short term plan that gives people a perspective on the future".
De Croo (Open VLD), along with Minister for Employment and the Economy Pierre-Yves Dermagne (PS), met with representatives and stressed the importance of a solid social plan that protects the interests of the employees of Audi Brussels and its many suppliers, Belga News Agency reports.
He stressed that it was crucial not only to provide financial compensation, but also sustainable solutions such as retraining and redeployment in other sectors.
Uncertainty since July
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 September confirmed that Audi Brussels has found no other economically viable use for the plant.
A visit of the Chamber Commission for the Economy of the federal parliament to the Audi factory in Brussels, Wednesday 18 September 2024. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
One potential investor
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.
Just one investor has come forward with a proposal for the future of the Audi Brussels factory in Forest, although Audi Brussels management has said their initial plan for the site was not viable.
The potential buyer is Belgian, and has said they are prepared to take over 1,500 of the sites almost 3,000 workers. The buyer has been given additional time to refine their offer, as the next works council meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday, 15 October.
Support for subcontractors
Hillal Sor, General Secretary of the United Steelworkers FGTB, expressed concern that "it will not be possible to avoid social ruin". The Socialist union representative nevertheless welcomed the current government's move to remind Audi management of "its social responsibilities".
Unions also cast a spotlight on the thousand or so employees who work for subcontractors. These are not included in the Renault law, which governs the procedure to be followed in the event of mass redundancies.
Unions have renewed calls for this legislation to be amended. Jamal Elyakoubi, subcontractors' representative for the CSC-Metea, spoke of "frustration" on their part, pointing to a "lack of consideration on the part of the employer towards its subcontractors".
Protestors pictured during a demonstration by Audi Brussels workers supported by the national trade union in solidarity, on Monday 16 September 2024 in Brussels. Credit: Belga / Dirk Waem
In a reaction on Wednesday night, Audi board member and head of production and logistics Gerd Walker said he was "aware that the current situation is emotionally heavy for all concerned".
Together with his plant manager Thomas Bogus, he has held talks with the Prime Minister and the unions, and considers it "personally very important to stay in touch with the people on site - with our employees, the social partners and representatives of Belgian politics".
"This direct and open exchange is all the more important to continue to discuss possible viable solutions for the Brussels site in a constructive way," Walker added.
