Nissan must surely be on the crest of a wave right now, celebrating its success at the 2014 What Car? awards, where it picked up the reader’s choice prize for the next generation X-Trail, and saw the all-new Qashqai take both the small SUV and the overall Car of the Year trophy.

It’s also just announced that its Sunderland Plant – where the old and now the new Qashqai are assembled – has built over a million vehicles in the last two years. But it seems that the Unite union is keen to make sure the brand doesn’t overlook the factory workers’ part in its current accomplishments.

In a tactically timed statement coinciding with the new Qashqai’s What Car? victory, Unite is now calling on Nissan to recognise its Sunderland workforce by boosting pay and conditions.

Unite national officer, Tony Murphy said, “Building over a million cars in two years is a sign of the company’s success, but it is also a sign of the phenomenal achievements of the workforce in Sunderland.

“Nissan must recognise the contribution of the workforce during the next set of pay negotiations. Nissan workers deserve a boost in their pay and conditions. The company says its workforce sets the benchmark for productivity and quality so it is only right that their pay and conditions matches their effort and expertise.”

As it stands, the Nissan workforce at Sunderland is now half-way through its current two-year pay deal. But Unite – which is Britain and Ireland’s largest trade union, with over 1.4 million members across all sectors of the economy – says it will soon begin preparing its “pay claim” for January 2015.

Nissan in a response to Unite’s comments made this official statement, “Nissan has enjoyed an excellent relationship with our workforce since our Sunderland Plant was established in the 1980s and we value and recognise their contribution to the business over many years.

“With regards to the comments by Unite, we do not comment publicly on internal matters.”