Thousands rally in Brussels to support workers at Audi factory facing closure
Date
9/17/2024 2:41:57 AM
(MENAFN) Thousands of people rallied in Brussels on Monday to show support for workers at an Audi factory in Belgium that is facing potential closure, urging the European Union to invest more in the industrial sector. The plant, which employs about 3,000 people to produce a luxury electric vehicle, is at risk of shutting down in 2025. Audi announced in early September that no new Volkswagen Group models would be built at the site after the final production run next year, citing "high production costs" in the Belgian capital as a reason for declining sales of the Q8 e-tron SUV.
The protest, which drew 5,500 participants according to police estimates and "more than 10,000" according to organizers, aimed to highlight the need for significant EU investment to safeguard industrial jobs. Thierry Baudson, the head of the Belgian General Labour Confederation (socialist), emphasized that Europe is currently heading in the wrong direction by promoting austerity instead of investing billions into industry. He noted that in European countries, there should ideally be a minimum of 25 percent industrial activity, serving as a foundation for the rest of the economy, but Belgium has not even reached the 20 percent mark.
Amid the demonstration, which was marked by firecrackers and smoke bombs, protesters displayed banners condemning mass job cuts and layoffs in the industrial and distribution sectors. Delegations from Germany, Poland, France, and the Netherlands joined the protest, underscoring the widespread concern over the future of industrial employment in Europe.
This demonstration occurs amidst a backdrop of growing competition from Chinese electric car manufacturers and a divided European Union debating whether to impose additional tariffs, a move that could provoke retaliatory trade measures from Beijing. The protestors and labor leaders are calling on the EU to take decisive action to protect European industry and jobs in the face of these challenges.
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