Nissan to axe 1,100 jobs in Spain

TOKYO (Agencies) - Nissan, the Japanese motor giant, is to shed 1,100 jobs and freeze salaries at its Spanish subsidiary.

The job cuts, which are another blow to the already beleaguered Spanish car industry, will be achieved by natural wastage. They represent about 16 per cent of the 7,000 workforce at Nissan Motor Iberica, and will be completed by the end of next year.

The subsidiary reported losses of Ptas23bn ( pounds 118m) in the first half of 1993. Losses for the whole year are expected to exceed Ptas30bn. In 1992 the 12-year-old company, which is 70 per cent controlled by Nissan, reported losses of Pta14.47bn.

The cuts are at the top end of expectations. Last week the company said that commercial vehicle sales, of which 70 per cent are exported, were down 40 per cent from a year earlier and it expected to have to cut staff by more than 10 per cent.