Nissan staff to strike in protest over relocation

Europe's most productive car plant is to be disrupted by strike action for the first time since it was set up two decades ago.

Staff in the purchasing department at the Nissan plant in Sunderland have voted to walk out over plans to relocate them 240 miles south to the company's design headquarters at Cranfield, Bedfordshire.

Although a stoppage will have no immediate impact on production, union leaders predict that many assembly line workers will not cross picket lines.

Amicus, the only union recognised at the plant, was deciding last night when to stage the first stoppage. The union is legally obliged to give seven days' notice of a walkout and take the first action within 28 days of the ballot result.

Davey Hall, the regional official for Amicus, accused the company of treating staff like "robots" and failing to consult them properly. He said: "Based on the ballot result we want management to embark on a serious dialogue with us to resolve the impasse."

Employees must notify the company by 1 January whether they are prepared to move by 1 June. Mr Hall said the majority of employees in the department felt it was unreasonable to haveto decide without any alternatives being discussed. He said requests for talks had been rejected by the company.

Nissan said that of the 70 staff in the purchasing department, 40 were union members and 18of them did not return their ballots. A statement said management would be contacting the employees' elected representatives and the union.

The company said it had offered attractive relocation packages. It had also tried to find alternative employment in the Sunderland area and was offering severance to those who did not want to move.

The company said: "Our discussions so far have been reasonable and amicable and we are hopeful that the matter can be quickly resolved. We have had a good record of employee relations in the past."