Nissan Plant Faced With First Time Strike Over Relocation of Staff

LONDON, November 18 -- Management at the Nissan car plant at Washington in Tyneside are faced with the threat of strike action for the first time in the plants history. The strike ballot conducted by Amicus is over the compulsory re-location of staff from its purchasing department to Cranfield in Bedfordshire. Two months ago Nissan Management informed sixty Purchase Department workers that they intended to relocate their jobs by 1st June 2004.

The Company made this decision without the consultation of the employees involved. Amicus have informed Management that they want proper consultation over the relocation issue and would like to hold formal talks but the Company has rejected this. Nissan Management have told Amicus that it will be the on site Company Council that will discuss these issues.

A postal ballot for strike action will be held from 24th November with the result expected on 8th December.

There are 4,000 workers at Nissan. Amicus membership is over 30% and has been steadily rising each month during this year.

Davey Hall, Amicus North East Regional Secretary and Mel Barras, Regional Officer, stated:

"As things stand, if the Nissan Purchasing Department workers are not prepared to relocate some 240 miles south to Cranfield, they stand to lose their jobs, their redundancy pay, money in lieu of notice and, as they have not been offered any other alternative, they ultimately also stand to lose their dignity.

As a Union, we intend to stand up for our members in order to protect their best interests. We are simply trying to resolve the problem that Nissan has created for themselves".

Nissan has stonewalled the Amicus request to hold formal discussions by refusing to meet with Union Officials. On the other hand, Amicus is quite willing to meet with the Company at any time in order to resolve the problem that has been created by the Company. We do not feel that it is unreasonable to ask Nissan Management to hold formal discussions with the Union they recognise on an issue that affects our members.