A PAY offer is expected to be put to Nissan's North-East workforce today with the engineering union Amicus still warning industrial action remains a possibility.

Talks have been deadlocked on the pay and conditions offer for 2003-2004, three weeks after it should have been implemented.

But the company's works council is expected to put Nissan's offer, believed to be three per cent, to the 4,672 workforce at the car manufacturing plant from today. Workers will be asked for their views over the coming days.

Engineering union Amicus represents 797 members of staff at the plant. Davey Hall, the union's regional secretary, said the ten-strong works council, on which four Amicus members sit, will recommend the offer to the workforce. However, he warned that if the members reject it, and if the company still refuses to talk to regional union officials, it will stage a ballot on industrial action.

A company spokesman said last night: "We are trying to get this sorted out sooner rather than later.

"We have tried to bring an offer the company council is happy to recommend to the workforce."