Audi Brussels spokesperson Peter D’hoore announced in a press release that the interim contracts at the factory will not be extended. The decision was described as challenging due to uncertain economic conditions and reluctance among customers to purchase fully electric vehicles, which is causing them to adjust their production program.
The Forest factory produces 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 works council meeting, and the ABVV has issued a strike notice in hopes of negotiating with management to reduce the number of dismissals.
Franky De Schrijver, a union representative, stated that the factory is currently at a standstill and that 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 remains 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.
