BELGIUM: Thousands of workers from Belgium's unions join Volkswagen protest against job cuts

At least 15,000 demonstrators marched through the heart of Brussels on Saturday (December 2) to protest planned job cuts at the Belgian factory of German car maker Volkswagen. Brussels residents and trade union members from across Europe, notably from Germany, joined almost the entire 5,000 workforce of the affected plant, shouting, "We want jobs", whistling, throwing firecrackers and carrying coffins. Hubert Gerards is a 50-year-old VW Brussels worker who has worked for the company for 16 years. He came dressed as St Nicholas, the white-bearded figure who spawned Santa Claus and who gives presents to Dutch and Belgian children early in December. Volkswagen announced two weeks ago that it would be ending the manufacture of its top-selling Golf at its plant in Brussels, reducing the workforce to 1,500 from some 5,000, prompting a strike. A deal brokered on Friday (December 1) by Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt to bring production of a small new Audi to Brussels and save some 3,000 positions has since softened Belgian anger, although protesters were in defiant mood on Saturday. "It could be positive, but in any case there's still two years to get over and of course I don't know how we are going to do it," said one worker, Hans Rogniers, about the new Audi plant Volkswagen will move shift production of the Golf to Germany and is demanding Belgian workers boost productivity to ensure they get to make the Audi. Foreign workers said they had come to show their solidarity with their Belgian counterparts. A German Volkswagen worker who came with hundreds of others to show their support said the protesters were fighting for jobs across Europe. She said everybody was worried about labour being brought in from offshore. "We think we should only fight together for jobs. We need it in Germany but also in Brussels or in another European countries," said Wiebke Koepsell. Union leaders praised other unions' solidarity as they gave speeches at the end of the demonstration. Stefaan Van Bockstaele of the ACLVB, the Liberal Union, said the battle was not over and called for the strike to continue and called on the other unions not to cease giving their support "We should not forget that Volkswagen management intended to close Volkswagen Forest. Thank you for the cooperation and the consultations at all levels This means that the battle is not over. We still have to overcome long and tough negotiations. We hope we can keep counting on everybody's solidarity. Because we will need it. Thank you," Van Bockstaele said. Police estimated the crowd assembled for the concluding speeches at around 15,000. Organisers said the figure was nearer 25,000. MOTOR INDUSTRY INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

ITN Source | December 3, 2006

Tags:. .worried. .santa. .plant. .crowd. .gave