‘Hundreds’ of jobs set to be axed at Nissan’s Wearside factory

NISSAN is planning to axe a number of jobs – believed to be hundreds – at its Sunderland factory over the next year.

The automotive giant has revealed it is looking to cut the number of salaried positions at its Sunderland plant as part of plans to introduce a new range of automotive parts.

Nissan said the cuts were needed because it is planning to introduce a new range of powertrains, which will lead to its plant volumes decreasing.

It has been reported that there will be “hundreds” of redundancies, but the company has declined to comment on numbers.

The jobs losses are expected to come from a range of departments, not just the powertrain section.

In a statement the firm said: “As previously communicated, we are transitioning to a new range of powertrains over the next year.

“As we make the operational changes required to support this, we will be managing a planned shortterm reduction in powertrain supply and plant volumes at NMUK.

“We are now discussing these operational changes with our employees.”

Unite officer Steve Bush said: “Unite is working with Nissan to minimise job losses associated with a short-term reduction in volumes at the carmaker’s Sunderland plant.

“Unite has been assured that any job reductions will be on a voluntary basis and on enhanced terms. Over the coming weeks we will be giving our members maximum support and ensuring that they can make informed choices about their future.”