"Sunderland people will not roll over and die," said Mick Thurlbeck, chairman of the North East Chamber of Commerce's Sunderland committee.

Fears of job cuts had been rife since the plant was forced to close early for Christmas.

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Mr Thurlbeck today vowed Sunderland would not take the blow lying down.
"This is probably the biggest job loss in the city since the mines and shipyards went – but we got through that and we will get through this," he said.

"Sunderland people have got to throw their shoulders back and stick their chests out – we will get through this. We will still continue to see the glass as half-full."

The full effects of the announcement are yet to come , he predicted:

"It is disappointing for the people at Nissan and also those in the supply chain.

"All their wages are spent around the area and that is a huge dent in the local economy.

"Any business which was struggling before is going to be really struggling now and it might just knock a few of them over.

"Some people are walking a fine line and the banks will not help out."
Everything would be done to help those Nissan workers who lose their jobs, promised Mr Thurlbeck.

"We will be working with everybody to help them. We will be standing shoulder-to shoulder with the city council, One NorthEast, Business Link and others to make we can place these people in work or help them to retrain.

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"Fortunately, there is lots and lots of money for retraining and reskilling people at the moment."

That process gets under way today, with the first meeting of a special response group set up to help Nissan workers facing the axe.

The group, which brings together organisations from the public and private sectors, will be led by development agency One NorthEast and chaired by its chief executive Alan Clarke.

"This announcement is not good news, but we have got to deal with it," Mr Clarke told the Echo today.

"Nissan will be coming to today's meeting and we have got to get a lot of information from them about their position.

"The first priority is to see what we can do and what we can put in place to help people who are going to be losing their jobs.

"Some thought for the workforce and for the uncertainty they are facing is important.

"They need to know people care about them, that people who have had significant experience of helping in similar situations are coming together within 24 hours of this announcement."

The group will work with Nissan and its staff as it goes through the redundancy process: "The response group will be doing everything it can to help staff find new employment and new opportunities as quickly as possible," said Mr Clarke.

"The dedication and hard work of Nissan's highly skilled North East workforce has cemented its reputation as one of the world's most productive car plants and as a cornerstone of the regional economy.

"I know yesterday's decision has been extremely difficult and painful for all concerned.

"However, Nissan has again stressed today that it remains fully committed to the future of its Sunderland plant, having recently confirmed the production of its new compact car model, due to begin in 2010.

"The challenge now is for us to continue to work closely with plant management to ensure help is delivered quickly to those who need it, including any affected workers in Nissan's supply chain.

"This is a time of unprecedented challenge for the North East and the wider UK economy.

"I am encouraged that the broader, more dynamic and diverse business base we have in the North East will make us more resilient to deal with the economic blows which are hitting the region, to emerge rapidly from the economic downturn able to seize the opportunities that will arise."

The response group comprises One NorthEast, Nissan, Job Centre Plus, Business and Enterprise North East, Learning and Skills Council, North East Chamber of Commerce, CBI North East and Sunderland City Council.