Nissan furloughs majority of staff in Sunderland as it extends shut down until at least the end of April

And the car giant announced today it is placing most staff on furlough until the end of the closure.

The firm employs around 7,000 people at its Sunderland plant and is placing the vast majority on furlough under the Government scheme to support jobs until the outbreak is over.

Only a handful of staff essential to the plant’s ‘security and integrity’ remain on site.

Nissan initially closed the plant on March 17 and sent staff home.

The company said it was assessing the impact of the virus outbreak on its supply chain disruption and had seen a ‘sudden drop in market demand caused by the COVID-19 emergency.’

It confirmed three days later that the closure would continue until further notice and that similar measures had been put in place in its other European plants.

Now the firm has confirmed the suspension will remain in operation until at least the end of the month.

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A Nissan spokesman said: “Vehicle production at Nissan Sunderland Plant has been suspended since 17th March. This suspension will now continue throughout April.

“During this period the majority of plant employees will be furloughed, and we are grateful for the government support that has enabled us to take this action.

“Our goal is to navigate through this crisis while maintaining activities critical for business continuity and to make sure we are prepared for the time when business resumes in Europe and we can welcome the Nissan team back to work.”

Click here for our interactive map of the outbreak.

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