Over 350 jobs axed at Nissan’s Sunderland factory

Car-maker Nissan has announced plans to axe 365 temporary workers in Sunderland due to a decline in demand.

Nissan added 2,000 people to the Sunderland workforce in the past two years to support a £1 billion investment programme.

After making over 500k vehicles in both years, in January the Japanese firm introduced 24-hour operations across the entire site at Sunderland for the first time.

However in a U-turn, the company stated that market conditions did not require the plant to be at such levels beyond the summer, and that therefore production Line 2 would return to two-shift operations from mid-June, necessitating the axing of hundreds of jobs.

Despite this, the firm anticipates production volumes of 500,000 in Sunderland for a third consecutive year, which will be another record for the UK car industry, and aim to “remain on track to become the number one Asian brand in Europe.”

Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd car manufacturing plant, located in Washington, Tyne and Wear has been active since 1986.

A statement from a Nissan spokesperson said: “This decision will reduce the total headcount at Nissan Sunderland Plant by 365, but we expect the actual number of people affected to be fewer, due to staff turnover. Those leaving the company will be limited to staff hired on temporary contracts.

“At the end of this period we expect headcount at Sunderland to be around 6,700, supporting two-shift operations on Line 2 with 24-hour operations continuing across the rest of the site.”

Photo: George Archer

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