The Sunderland plant opened in the mid-1980s

The company says it is switching its purchasing department from its factory in Sunderland, to Bedfordshire.

The move will mean about 60 jobs being relocated to Cranfield.

The Amicus trade union has pledged to fight the job losses and is to ballot staff at the car maker, which employs 4.500 people.

The union represents almost 800 workers at the plant, which opened in 1986 and makes Nissan's popular Micra, Almera and Primera models.

Davey Hall, the northern regional secretary for Amicus said industrial relations at the site, hailed by former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, had deteriorated.

'No alternative'

He hit out at the company's refusal to talk about the switch of workers to Befordshire.

He said: "We are in a ridiculous situation where the company wants people to uproot their lives and families, but will not talk to the workers' elected representatives.

"These people have not been offered any alternative other than to move 240 miles south.

"We have told the company we intend to ballot our members for strike action."

Mr Hall said staff had been given until January to decide whether to uproot their families or lose their jobs.

Nissan has yet to comment on the move.

The Wearside plant is rated the world's most efficient car plant and was set a 2003 target of building 350,000 cars, with some models exported back to Japan.