TOKYO: Nissan Motor will begin talks this week to seek job cuts at its Sunderland plant in Britain, it said on Monday, as the Japanese automaker targets a 15% reduction in its global workforce.

Nissan said the move was aimed at increasing the efficiency of the Sunderland plant in northeastern England to make it a “leaner, more flexible” operation.

It did not say how many job cuts it was targeting. Japan’s Kyodo News, which earlier reported the planned cuts, said Nissan was aiming to lay off 250 workers.

“We will begin discussions with some of our employees at the Sunderland plant this week about voluntary retirement opportunities and support from the company,” Nissan said in a statement.

Along with the job cuts, Nissan Chief Executive Ivan Espinosa has announced plans to close seven plants worldwide, although Sunderland is not expected to be among them.

The factory is seen as critical to Nissan’s European operations and it plans to make the new version of its Leaf EV there.

Separately, Reuters reported on Monday that Nissan has asked some suppliers in Britain and the European Union to delay payments to free up short-term funds, as it scrambles to boost cash.

Reuters