Nissan to cut 900 jobs in Europe as part of global restructuring
Nissan will cut about 900 jobs in Europe, representing about 10% of its regional staff, and consolidate production at its Sunderland plant from two lines into one as part of a broader global restructuring plan, Reuters reports. The cuts will mainly affect administrative and warehouse positions, while Nissan Manufacturing UK said there would be no redundancies among production staff at the Sunderland plant. Currently, Nissan Europe employs about 9300 people.
The restructuring, launched last year under the leadership of CEO Ivan Espinosa, aims to restore profitability after significant losses, reduce Nissan's global manufacturing footprint and reduce the total number of employees by 15%. Nissan said it is taking decisive measures to improve performance and create a more compact and sustainable business that can quickly adapt to changes in the market. In Europe, the proposals also include the partial closure of the Barcelona warehouse and the transition in the Nordic markets to a distribution model managed by importing partners. In Spain, there are about 500 employees in the areas targeted by the cuts, although the final number will be agreed with the unions and is expected to be lower.
Union representative Miguel Ruiz criticized Nissan's approach, mentioning the closure of the company's main factories in Barcelona in 2020, affecting about 3,000 jobs. Nissan is expected to release an update on the progress of the restructuring along with its annual results later this month.