International protest against VW

BRUSSELS – Belgian union leaders vowed on Friday to step up their protest against Volkswagen AG’s decision to cut 3 500 jobs at its Brussels assembly plant.

“In the next days we will step up our actions,” Erwin de Clerck from the ABBV union told VRT radio. Union talks late Thursday led to an agreement to continue strike action at the factory until at least Dec.15, or until after the German carmaker clarifies its future plans for its Belgian operations.Volkswagen on Tuesday announced that it would halt production of its Golf model at the plant and shift production to two German plants as part of a restructuring that could cost a further 20 000 jobs across Europe meant to cut overcapacity.They also announced a mass protest march for Saturday in Brussels, which will include unions from other industries and other European nations.Senior Volkswagen management will meet in Wolfsburg, Germany, on Dec.15 to decide on the future of the plant’s 1 500 remaining workers.Belgian radio reported that 150 militant union workers picketing outside the Volkswagen plant left to support workers at a related car parts factory which makes bumpers for the Volkswagen plant and which also faces closure.Management at Volkswagen’s Brussels plant have urged workers to return to their jobs by next week while talks on severance packages continue.Nampa-APUnion talks late Thursday led to an agreement to continue strike action at the factory until at least Dec.15, or until after the German carmaker clarifies its future plans for its Belgian operations.Volkswagen on Tuesday announced that it would halt production of its Golf model at the plant and shift production to two German plants as part of a restructuring that could cost a further 20 000 jobs across Europe meant to cut overcapacity.They also announced a mass protest march for Saturday in Brussels, which will include unions from other industries and other European nations.Senior Volkswagen management will meet in Wolfsburg, Germany, on Dec.15 to decide on the future of the plant’s 1 500 remaining workers.Belgian radio reported that 150 militant union workers picketing outside the Volkswagen plant left to support workers at a related car parts factory which makes bumpers for the Volkswagen plant and which also faces closure.Management at Volkswagen’s Brussels plant have urged workers to return to their jobs by next week while talks on severance packages continue.Nampa-AP