Brussels was abuzz with activism on Monday as over 5,000 demonstrators took to the streets in a show of solidarity with Audi Brussels employees facing job uncertainty. The march, which saw most public transport in the Belgian capital come to a halt, was organized in response to Audi’s recent announcement regarding potential changes to the Brussels plant.
In July, Audi, a subsidiary of Volkswagen, revealed plans to restructure its Brussels facility, which currently employs 3,000 people. The restructuring includes the possibility of halting production of the Audi Q8 e-tron electric vehicles earlier than expected. This move has sparked significant concern among workers, leading to a strike at the plant.
Despite an agreement reached between management and union representatives to resume work on Tuesday, Monday’s demonstration proceeded as planned. Protesters marched from a local station to a square in front of the European Parliament, carrying a prominent banner reading “The Industry is Ours.”
Katie Vanden Eycken, an Audi worker, expressed her frustration at the ongoing uncertainty. “It’s not nice that they have been stalling us for so long. Closed, not closed, closed, not closed. Wage, no wage. It’s not nice you know. I hope something will come out of it,” she said.
Union officials used the protest to highlight broader concerns about the impact of such corporate decisions on Belgian and European industry. Patrick Van Belle, chief official of the Socialist union at Audi, criticized European authorities for creating a challenging environment for local manufacturing. “We also want to send a strong signal to European authorities, which are making things difficult for Belgian industry, but also for European industry. The manufacturing industry is mainly migrating away from our countries,” he stated.
The demonstration, noted for its peaceful nature, underscored the deep anxieties surrounding industrial job security in Belgium and beyond.