On 24 June 1998, the workers at the Belgian Volkswagen assembly plant spontaneously went on strike. The immediate cause of this "wildcat" strike at Volkswagen's Forest assembly plant was a decision by the company doctor to send home an assembly-line worker, allegedly without any serious medical examination. The woman had become indisposed at the assembly line and reported to the company's medical facility. Shortly after being sent home, she had a stroke and went into a coma. Apparently, this was not the only decision by the doctor that has caused controversy.
June 1998 saw a spontaneous strike by workers at the Belgian Volkswagen assembly plant. The incident marked a further step in what can be described as a tense industrial relations climate at the plant.
On 24 June 1998, the workers at the Belgian Volkswagen assembly plant spontaneously went on strike. The immediate cause of this "wildcat" strike at Volkswagen's Forest assembly plant was a decision by the company doctor to send home an assembly-line worker, allegedly without any serious medical examination. The woman had become indisposed at the assembly line and reported to the company's medical facility. Shortly after being sent home, she had a stroke and went into a coma. Apparently, this was not the only decision by the doctor that has caused controversy.
After negotiations between trade union representatives and the plant's management, it was decided temporarily to suspend the doctor on four weeks' paid leave while investigating the case further in the meantime.
However, this did not end the strike as the real cause of the dispute, according to the unions, centres on increasing work pressures on the shopfloor. The lack of a common strategy among the unions did not facilitate the process either. The socialist Belgian General Federation of Labour (Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique/Algemeen Belgisch Vakverbond, FGTB/ABVV) wanted to continue the strike, while the (Confédération des Syndicats Chrétiens/Algemeen Christelijk Vakverbond, CSC/ACV) believed that there would be greater advantage from continued negotiations.
Belgian management strongly emphasised the fact that the poor industrial relations at Volkswagen Belgium were damaging the image of the plant within the Volkswagen group. In addition, the strike took place during a visit by a delegation of top managers from Volkswagen headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany and against the background of unmet production quotas. About 25% fewer cars had rolled off the assembly line in 1998 than had been planned.
Given recent experiences in the automobile sector and the apparently intractable positions behind the dispute, a conciliation meeting with an employment inspector took place at the Ministry of Labour and Employment on the day of the dispute. Management stood behind its "hardline" point of view: any employees not back at work by 22.00 would be fired immediately. Furthermore, a Volkswagen general manager reportedly admitted to the existence of a "blacklist" of 130 radical union members who would be fired if they did not resume work. He added that the unions should put their own house in order and take action against what was claimed to be a small group of "hardcore" militants for whom any reason is sufficient for a strike or a delay in production. Union representatives defended their demand that the company's doctor should be dismissed and accounted for low production output by reference to technical problems. Ultimately, however, they conceded under pressure from the Belgian and German management.
In the end, both the afternoon and evening shifts went back to work. However, whether the last chapter in the Volkswagen industrial relations story has been written is doubtful.
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (1998), Wildcat strike breaks out at Volkswagen Belgium, article.
