Hundreds of Nissan workers have been furloughed following a number of positive Covid-19 cases at its North East plant.
Earlier this week the Qashqai manufacturer, which employs around 6,000 people in Sunderland, confirmed it had made changes to its operations after learning that a number of employees had tested positive. The staff who had tested positive then had to self-isolate, as well as those who had been in close contact with them.
Nissan has now confirmed that hundreds of staff have been furloughed as a direct result, suspending production in some areas of its two production lines.
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However, it has stressed that work has not ground to a halt and that only the late shift is affected, with building continuing through the day.
Fewer than 50 people have tested positive, while the rest of the furloughed staff are self-isolating as a precaution, in line with Government guidelines to help reduced the spread of coronavirus.
The firm said earlier this week: “Production in certain areas of the plant has been adjusted as we manage a number of staff being required to self-isolate following close contact with Covid-19.
“The wellbeing of our team is our number one priority and we remain confident in the rigorous safety controls we have on site.”
This is not the first time Nissan has been forced to take action and at the start of the pandemic most of its workforce was furloughed for a number of weeks.
After three months of halted production a trial run saw a small number return to work, before the rest returned at the end of May.
Meanwhile, in March, more than 700 staff were furloughed as a worldwide shortage of computer chips continued to impact the motor manufacturer.
The company placed workers on the late shift on production line two – which makes the Qashqai and Juke models – at the start of the month, when the shortage of semiconductors, which has been affecting industries around the globe for some time, began to affect work at the firm.
Those workers had returned to their duties, but Nissan warned that it was expecting further disruption.
