Derek Simpson, recently elected joint general secretary of the Amicus manufacturing union, put the British plants of the three Japanese car makers in the front line of his drive to shift power back to the shopfloor.
The co-head of the million-strong union, the biggest affiliated to the Labour party, said he was concerned that the proposed Honda agreement specified binding arbitration to resolve disputes - in effect, ruling out strikes.
The Honda decision is evidence of a new approach promised by Mr Simpson at the TUC a fortnight ago, and represents a break with his predecessor, rightwinger Sir Ken Jackson, who helped negotiate the Honda agreement.
"The Honda agreement as it stands is the offspring of the agreements done in the 1980s and 1990s. It is my belief that they have no place in modern industrial relations. If our members at Nissan and Toyota ask us to review their agreements, we shall look at them as well," Mr Simpson said.
"Most companies recognise that productive partnerships are based on mutual respect and the right, if necessary, to take industrial action when procedures are exhausted.
"That is not to say we are about to embark on a wave of strikes; but it is to say we as a union will review agreements and be directed by the wishes of our members."
Honda executives were said to be angry at the move, and workers at its main Swindon factory are reportedly concerned at the implications.
Allies of Mr Simpson - who has stated that the members involved will have the final say - pointed out that Honda, which set up in Britain in 1985, refused to recognise a union until the AEEU section of Amicus last year used employment legislation to win a legally binding ballot.
If no deal is reached, the union could use the law again to impose a basic agreement on the company covering pay and conditions while retaining the right to strike. Amicus officials said that they had received a number of complaints about agreements at Nissan and Toyota as well as other firms, including electronics concerns in South Wales.
Mr Simpson has said that, under him, the union will not seek single union deals behind the backs of other unions, claiming Sir Ken's deals were too favourable to employers.
John Lloyd, an Amicus official close to Sir Ken who was involved in drafting the Honda proposals, met managers of the Japanese firm yesterday.
Critics of Mr Simpson in the union claim he will alienate employers and members by threatening strikes, ultimately undermining the union's ability to represent workers.
· The head of a government review into fire service pay confirmed that he would not make recommendations until more than a month after a wave of strikes is due to start.
Military training has started to deploy troops in ageing Green Goddess tenders from the end of October to provide emergency cover if 52,000 firefighters embark on the first national walkouts for 25 years.
Sir George Bain, a former chairman of the low pay commission, said he expected to publish his report in December. The Fire Brigades Union has rejected a 4% offer and is claiming 40%. It is boycotting the review, which it terms a "meaningless distraction".
Research from consultants Cap Gemini Ernst & Young identifies potential savings of £3bn if official targets are met in fighting blazes and avoiding accidents.
Andy Gilchrist, FBU general secretary, said: "It's truly amazing - they [the inquiry] are supposed to reinvent the fire service in less time than it takes to give a person off the street basic fire training. This inquiry is going to be a sham."
