Audi operations will be moved to China and Mexico due to high costs. Future uses for the site in the Brussels neighbourhood of Forest are being considered.
Audi Brussels factory is set to close in the Belgian capital, releasing its 3,000 workers who went in for their last shift on Friday.
Halfway through last year, production was already reduced, and between 1,500 and 2,000 jobs were cut. At the end of October, no serious investor or buyer had emerged, leading to the decision to close the factory this February.
“It just feels weird that it’s coming to an end,” one employee said. “When you’ve been coming here for 15 years, the factory is a big part of your life. Then, all of a sudden, it’s over. It’s like a whole part of your life is over.”
The factory in Brussels’ neighbourhood of Forest has been assembling luxury Audis since 2006, when the then-Volkswagen factory was saved from the brink of closure.
But almost 20 years later, there is no good news for the workers at Audi Brussels. At the start of 2024, it was announced that the factory’s car production would be moved to China and Mexico.
Audi’s profit margins were deemed too low, and the Belgian workers were too expensive.
‘It’s a bit like divorce’
Aurelien Duval has been working for Audi for almost ten years. He’s in charge of the maintenance department.
“It’s a bit like a divorce, in fact. You don’t know if you should blame management, if it’s your fault, if it’s… The emotions are a bit strange,” Duval said.
“Maybe I blame Audi’s top management, because it’s not a bankruptcy, they’re just leaving to make extra profits,” he added.
The announcements led to employees and trade unions going on strike and holding hundreds of car keys “hostage” in protest of the decision.
“I’ve been working here for 10 years,” said a worker in front of the factory on Friday. “I thought I’d make my whole career at Audi, but that won’t be the case.”
“I’m young, I think I’ll find work again easily, but unfortunately, the pay may not keep up. At Audi, we’re very well paid, so it’ll be complicated to find the same salary elsewhere,” he added.
The Belgian car industry has seen a sharp decline in the last thirty years. Once a leader in the field, Belgium’s vehicle manufacture has slid by 80% since the late 1990s.
Talking about the future of the Audi Brussels factory itself, Belgium’s Minister of Defence Theo Francken has touted the idea of turning the plant into a weapons production site.
This could create new jobs, Francken said, adding that there is an “urgent need for military materials”.
There are other options for conversion that could include different sectors, according to the Forest-Vorst Charles Spapens.
Additional sources • EBU
