On Monday the streets of Brussels filled with some 10,000 demonstrators, whose anger at the possible closure of Audi Forest was amplified to highlight the danger to Belgium's industrial more broadly.
Already this year Van Hool, the Flemish bus maker, filed for bankruptcy, costing over 1,500 jobs. Audi has around 3,000 staff and many more subcontractors, who have for months been seeking assurances about plans for the plant. No new model has been assigned to the Brussels factory and the Q8 e-tron produced there currently is selling badly.
Closure of the Audi plant wouldn't just be a blow for those who work there, it would almost be the end of Belgium's automobile expertise. Only Volvo Ghent would stand between this industry being entirely extinct. It's a long way to fall from the golden days of the '70s, when General Motors, Ford, Morris/Land Rover, Renault, Peugeot, and Mercedes were made here.
But unions marching yesterday highlighted what they see as an even greater injustice: despite generous government funding pay for training at Audi Forest, ministers now appear powerless to intervene on behalf of the skilled workforce.
"It's a shame that when the government provides funding to companies, the companies have no obligation in return," one participant told my colleague Ellen O'Regan. At the same time that the EU is finally waking up to the need to nurture its industries, securing a good deal for those that work in them is critical.
"We need massive investment but that doesn't mean a blank cheque to business, investment and aid must always be strictly conditional." But is it too late?
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