BRUSSELS, SEPT 16 – Thousands of people demonstrated in Brussels today in solidarity with workers near an Audi electric vehicle (EV) factory where the German carmaker is considering closing the plant due to declining sales.
Audi said production at the plant, which employs about 3,000 people in the Belgian capital, will end in 2025, a move analysts say was triggered by symptoms affecting the wider European car industry, due to low demand and competition from China.
Audi, a subsidiary of Volkswagen, earlier this month made a surprise announcement that it was considering a move to close its production site in Germany.
Police said today more than 5,000 people marched through Brussels as part of the protest.
Organizers say they want to push European Union leaders to act and invest heavily to save jobs in the industrial sector. They put the number of protesters at over 10,000.
The protests came as workers at a Brussels factory staged a prolonged strike, refusing to return to work after the summer holidays. – AFP
