NISSAN is to reinstate one of the shifts it axed at its Washington plant after winning new work from across Europe, The Northern Echo can reveal.

Nissan said it has seen improved activity in Russia, Holland and France, and as a result is temporarily increasing output of both its Micra and Note models from February 9.

The move spells good news for the 1,100 workers who operate Line 2 at the factory, many of whom will stand to benefit from increased hours as a result of the second shift being reinstated.

And it comes as a timely boost for both the plant – which announced 1,200 job losses earlier this month – and the flagging automotive sector, which has seen car production factories across the country come to a standstill as a result of the global decline in new car sales.

A spokesman for Nissan in Washington – the UK’s biggest car importer and exporter which supplies about 32 European markets – said last night there had been short-term increase in demand, although the outlook for this year still remained extremely challenging.

“This, is of course, a very welcome short-term boost, and is good news for the plant, and we will continue to monitor the market very closely.

“The months ahead still look very challenging for the whole sector,” he said.

None of the threatened jobs – 800 permanent staff and 400 temporary workers – will be saved as a result of the new work.

Initially, under plans announced earlier this month, plant managers planned to reintroduce the second shift in April, but the timescale has been altered with the increase in demand.

The move was last night welcomed by regional development agency One NorthEast (One), which is spearheading the Nissan Response Group that has been set up to support redundancy-threatened workers at the Japanese motor company and its key suppliers.

A One spokesman said: “Nissan has responded quickly to address this welcome market demand for the Micra and Note, which reflects the volatility of the global marketplace.

“The key challenge for the Nissan Response Group remains to work with the firm to secure the long-term future of its Sunderland plant and support workers affected by its recent jobs reduction announcement.”