Restructuring events
European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
Audi Vorst, a facility that is part of the international Volkswagen group, has announced in July that it would cut 1,400 jobs.
The cut is due to the factory not receiving a new production model in the coming years, following the Q-8 e-tron. This means no there is no view on production volumes and a de-facto closure of the facility. The reasoning for the closure according to the company management is overcapacity, with the Brussels plant having higher production costs compared to other sites within the group.
Reports of the potential closure of the facility have led to unrest and difficult discussions between the unions and the company management. Following these unrests, there have been actions on the part of the unions and employees as well as a lock-out performed by the company management.
Reports of potential buyers of the facility have surfaced in the media but these were ultimately dismissed by the company itself.
Updated, 05/11/2024 At the end of October the company management formulated a concrete closure date for the facility in Vorst. On February 2025, the facility will be completely closed (as part of Audi) and 2,920 jobs will be lost. The company management stated that no dismissals will take place before then and efforts continue to find a buyer for the facility. Trade unions insisted on this concrete date to bring clarity to all employees and their future.
Updated, 20/01/2025 As is regular practice, unions are negotiating a social plan with the company management. However, the company ended talks unilaterally at the beginning of January. Contrary to what is common practice and considered a faux pas in Belgium, the Audi management intends to present its offer directly to employees.
Updated, 28/02/2025 At the end of February, the final decision was made to close the facility in Vorst by the end of the week. The future of the site is still unknown.
Eurofound (2024), Audi, Closure in Belgium, factsheet number 201620, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/201620.
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