Brussels (The Brussels Morning newspaper): On September 16 unions at Audi Brussels will protest to raise awareness of their concerns and influence management and politicians regarding recent restructuring plans potentially affecting 1,500 jobs. A staff meeting is also scheduled to address employee uncertainties following these announcements.
On Monday September 16 unions at Audi Brussels are organizing a big protest in Brussels to push for their goals. Grégory Dascotte from the French-speaking socialist union said that the protest is meant to go beyond just the Audi factory. By taking their issues to the streets the unions want to make the public aware of their concerns influence politicians and get the attention of Volkswagen Group management which is in charge of Audi. The demonstration is a smart way to make their message stronger and push for changes on a bigger scale. By reaching out to more people and important decision-makers they believe it’s essential to achieve their goals and make sure that their demands are taken seriously by the top levels of the company and the government.
What is the purpose of the general staff meeting at Audi Brussels and why is it being held in the parking lot?
On 20th August tuesday there’s a general staff meeting in the parking lot in front of the Audi Brussels factory. This is the first meeting for employees since Audi announced its restructuring plans in early July which has likely made the staff worried and uncertain. It has been said that this meeting is important for them to talk about what these changes mean and to get answers from management. Holding the meeting in the parking lot suggests that they expect a lot of people to attend and want to make sure it’s visible,especially given the recent news.
At about 10 a.m. the time set for the general staff meeting in front of the Audi Brussels factory around 500 employees had shown up according to an early estimate by the police. However many workers were still stuck in traffic which kept them from getting to the meeting on time. Because some employees were still on their way and delayed the joint union decided to push back the start of the meeting by half an hour. This extra time was meant to give more employees a chance to come and make sure there was a good turnout for the talk about the company’s recent restructuring plans.
Ronny Liedts from ACV Metea mentioned that it’s important to bring everyone back together before the meeting starts. The factory has been closed for several weeks due to a collective vacation and low demand for the 08 e-tron the large electric SUV produced there. On July 9 Audi in Brussels announced a restructuring plan which could lead to 1,500 job losses as early as October and possibly over 1,100 next year with the last jobs potentially disappearing by the end of 2025. A special works council meeting is scheduled for Thursday to discuss when production will restart.
