Nissan stresses no Sunderland jobs will be lost as part of European workforce cuts
Car giant Nissan has stressed no jobs will lost in Sunderland after announcing that it will close a production line at its city plant.
The company is, however, in talks to cut around 10% of its European workforce – almost 900 employees – across the continent.
The Japanese manufacturer has confirmed it will be merging two of its lines at the Washington plant - which currently has more than 6,000 staff and is the largest employer in the region – in an announcement on Tuesday afternoon.
It has also begun talks with European staff over changes that include the partial closure of its Barcelona warehouse and moving to an importer model for its Nordic markets.
The measures follow the launch of the Re:Nissan plan to boost the company’s performance and profits.
A spokeswoman for Nissan said: “Under the Re:Nissan recovery plan, we have been taking decisive actions to enhance performance and create a leaner, more resilient business that adapts quickly to market changes.
“As part of this approach, today we have opened discussions with our European employees with a view to simplifying our structures, reducing complexity, and ensuring we operate in a sustainable and profitable way.
“This includes discussions on proposals for the partial closure of our Barcelona warehouse and to move to an importer model for our Nordic markets.
“We have also announced that we will consolidate production from two lines to one at Sunderland plant as we assess future opportunities to secure full plant utilisation.”
The company has come under pressure from slower sales and the impact of tariff costs under US President Donald Trump’s trade policies.
Nissan has not specified which roles would be impacted and at which locations within Europe.
A time-scale for any job losses or the merger of the Sunderland production lines has also still to be announced.
The latest restructuring efforts come after Nissan announced a major overhaul last year with the closure of seven factories and discussions over the potential loss of 20,000 jobs globally.