Outside the Audi plant in Brussels, described by the German carmaker as the "cradle" of the electric drive, about 200 picketing workers huddled around a fire in the morning rain, AFP reported.
The company is considering closing the plant. Analysts say it's a move that is symptomatic of the problems besetting Europe's electric car industry as a whole, amid weak demand and competition from China.
Audi is a subsidiary of Volkswagen, which earlier this month made the shock announcement that it was considering the unprecedented step of closing production sites in Germany.
With 3,000 jobs under threat, workers in Brussels began a prolonged strike. They are planning a large demonstration in the capital on September 16 and protests elsewhere in solidarity.
Some people sleep in tents outside the state-of-the-art facility, which switched to producing electric cars in 2018 after producing internal combustion engine models for 70 years.
"They got electric cars wrong. They wanted to innovate. We were going to be a pilot plant, but they nailed it to the wall. It didn't work and now we are the ones who will pay," said 52-year-old worker Karim Chowki.
Europe is racing to produce more electric cars as part of its green transition. The clock is ticking until the EU deadline to phase out the sale of fossil fuel cars by 2035.
However, sales are difficult to start.
According to EU data, in July new registrations decreased by 6% compared to the previous year across the continent.
This was partly due to the phasing out of some subsidies, but weakening demand has heightened concerns about the sector. | BGNES
