Strike force
Nissan is to expand its plant in Sunderland, building two new models there. The Japanese company is praised for not losing a day to strikes in three decades in the city. But labour relations weren’t always so good.
— In 1953, when part of Nissan’s business was assembling Austin cars in Japan under licence, the company suffered a bitter
100-day strike. Occupying US forces became involved, helping the Japanese government to arrest union leaders.
— As a result of the strike, a new, less militant union was formed, with a Harvard-educated leader. The union accepted job losses but became involved in discussions over new technology.
Global race
And where did the UK fit in among the world’s largest car producers in the second quarter of 2016?
| Cars produced | % change on quarter |
| 11.1m – China | +6.5% |
| 3.82m – Japan | -3.4% |
| 3.03m – Germany | +3.5% |
| 2.04m – US | +2.1% |
| 2m – South Korea | -5.4% |
| 1.75m – India | +6.5% |
| 1.32m |
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