More than 1,000 Dutch auto workers demonstrated Tuesday outside Mitsubishi's sole western European plant, a day after it revealed plans to stop production by year-end, union organisers said.

The Japanese carmaker announced in Tokyo on Monday that it was planning to halt automobile production in Europe by the end of 2012, blaming a difficult operating environment in the debt-hit continent.

"We want a maximum effort to be made for the employees, like having a good social plan," said Carolien Weber, spokeswoman for FNV Bondgenoten, which claims to represent between 800 to 900 of workers.

She said almost all of NedCar's 1,500 workers were present at Tuesday's protest, with employees blocking entrances by using new Mitsubishi cars made at the plant.

"The factory workers are overwhelmingly in support of the union's demands," she told AFP.

The Japanese carmaker produces the Colt subcompact and the Outlander sports utility models at the wholly-owned unit, located about 180 kilometres (112 miles) southeast of Amsterdam.

Output at NedCar, which was established in 1991, has remained sharply below its production capacity of 200,000 units a year, contributing to Mitsubishi Motors' operating loss in Europe, reports said.

Fewer than 50,000 cars were assembled in 2010.