Shutdown at Audi Brussels: Layoffs and Uncertainty for Electric Car Factory Workers

Audi Brussels spokesperson Peter D’hoore has announced that the interim contracts at the factory will not be extended, describing the decision as a tough one to make. This is due to challenging economic conditions and uncertainty surrounding subsidies in some markets, which are causing reluctance among customers to purchase fully electric vehicles.

Since Audi Brussels exclusively produces electric cars, they must adjust their production program. The factory in Forest builds the large electric Audi Q8 e-tron, but not the smaller Q6 e-tron. The decision to lay off 371 employees was communicated to the unions during a meeting of the works council.

The ABVV has issued a strike notice and hopes to negotiate with management to reduce the number of dismissals. According to union representative Franky De Schrijver, the factory is currently at a standstill and the strike notice will take effect when temporary unemployment ends. There were discussions last month about introducing additional weeks of temporary unemployment and reducing production speed, but the decision to lay off workers came as a surprise.

The future of the factory in Forest is uncertain, as production of the Q8 will cease in 2027 and no new model has been assigned yet. The ABVV expects to hear in November whether a new model will be allocated to the factory. Meetings between the union and management are held every six weeks, with a decision typically announced in November regarding which series will be produced in which factories.