BELGIUM: BRUSSELS: DEMONSTRATION AGAINST UNEMPLOYMENT LEVELS скачать в хорошем качестве

BELGIUM: BRUSSELS: DEMONSTRATION AGAINST UNEMPLOYMENT LEVELS

(16 Mar 1997) Eng/French/Nat About one hundred thousand people marched through Brussels in a demonstration against unemployment levels, Sunday. The rally in the Belgium capital, Brussels, comes after recent mass redundancies by the car manufacturer, Renault. Union members and their families from all over Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands attended the protest. The protest was a clear sign of the mounting unease with which many of Europe's workers view the increased competition - and the lack of government protection - brought on by a united Europe market. Around one hundred thousand protesters marched through the streets of Brussels Sunday protesting about unemployment levels in Europe. It was organised by Belgium's two largest unions the C-S-C and the F-G-T-B and was also attended by union representatives from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Britain and Germany. Chanting workers and shrill whistles filled the air with noise as the protestors made their presence very much felt. Hundreds of balloons were blown up adding an almost festive feel to the demonstration. But the protestors were feeling far from festive - many were there fighting for their livelihoods. The march was prompted by the recent closure of Renault's plant at Vilvoorde in Belgium. Several weeks ago the car manufacturer announced plans to close the factory cutting thousands of jobs in France. This led to outrage across Europe and huge protests in both Belgium and France. A very real fear is that other car manufacturers will follow suit. SOUNDBITE: (French) "Now it's also Volkswagen and all the factories in Belgium are afraid because when you see three thousand people tossed out in the street in one go. At Volkswagen it's 5- thousand; GM too (General Motors), they're all frightened now so they're all coming out into the streets. It's good." SUPER CAPTION: Noe Joel, Belgian Renault Worker The streets of Brussels were cleared of traffic as the marchers filled the roads. Attending the rally to show their support for the workers whose jobs will be axed were union representatives from all over Europe, including Britain. And they brought some glimmer of hope. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Europe should be a Europe for workers and not for the bosses and we've come over as solidarity for the Renault factory in Vilvoorde. Myself at Rolls Royce in Bristol was subject to cut backs recently which we fought, which was successful and we're hoping that the Vilvoorde factory will be successful in their occupation and it will stay open, and as I say Europe should be for the workers not the bosses." SUPER CAPTION: Jerry Hicks, British Rolls Royce Worker and Union Delegate Despite pressure from all sides, both public and political, French car maker, Renault has refused to back down, claiming cutbacks are essential to control costs and remain competitive. And unless there is a last minute about-turn by the company the future of many workers in this industry looks bleak. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...