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Audi has pledged to donate €1-million to initiatives and schemes designed to help refugees arriving in Europe. The German car maker, through its Audi Volunteers ("Audi Ehrensache") initiative, will give the money to fund ideas and plans thought up by its own employees in its factories and offices in Brussels, Ingolstadt, Neckarsulm and, potentially most significantly, Gyro in Hungary, Already money from Audi has been used to renovate housing for refugees and to bring the children of refugees for stress-relieving days out.
Audi has also said that it will kick plans to help refugees into long-term employment into gear, although it didn't specifically say that it will be opening employment within Audi for that purpose.
"We have been shocked by the great suffering of the refugees in Europe," said Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG. "People at our doorsteps are in need - and we therefore want to offer help quickly and avoid red tape." The money from the corporate donation will flow to local aid projects at the Audi production sites." We are aware of how dramatically the situation of the refugees has developed locally," said Thomas Sigi, Board Member for Human Resources, who added: "With the emergency aid we are trying to show our solidarity as well as practice social responsibility at our corporate sites."
Audi General Works Council Chairman Peter Mosch: "We must not and we will not stand passively by when it comes to helping our fellow human beings in this desperate situation. We Audi employees are always there to help when it's important - and it's more important now than ever before."