Incidents with the police were accompanied by negotiations for compensation for the 3,000 employees of Audi Brussels who are losing their jobs at the end of March
Audi’s decision to lock down the small production unit of the German automobile industry outside of the end of March is considered final and irreversible. Brussels. The anger of the 3,000 workers is palpable as their union representatives try to secure as much compensation and benefits as possible.
The crisis in the motherland Volkswagen is pressuring the German giant to cut costs. The radical austerity program is therefore starting from the small factory in Brussels, which produces only one model: the electric SUV Q8 e-tron, whose sales, however, are rather disappointing. For Audi, the unit is economically unprofitable since there are few suppliers nearby. As a result supply costs skyrocket.
Negotiations between management and workers turned violent last night when about 150 people with masked faces stormed the negotiation room and prevented management from leaving the premises. Finally, police forces intervened, with the gathered workers accusing them of excessive use of force and injuring trade unionists.
The last potential investor withdrew its proposal
Ludovic Piner, secretary of the union CNE Industrie states: “The workers were waiting for clear answers without using violence. Of course there were protests, but they were peaceful. And then the management decided to call the police, even though there was no reason.”
In the 24 hours that have passed, the last hopes of the workers for the survival of the unit have been shattered. As the Volkswagen subsidiary announced, “the last potential investor from the commercial vehicle sector has finally withdrawn its expression of interest. Unfortunately there are no other interested parties. The search for potential investors is complete.”
Gregory Dascott from the FGTB trade union criticizes the administration: “These are not peaceful negotiations. The workers are simply asking for a compensation and benefits plan to compensate for the loss of jobs. There are 3,000 workers in this unit and 1,000 in supplier companies. Their request is not unreasonable. They are protesting here demanding compensation for the work they did.”
Sources: EBU, afp, dpa
Source :Skai
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