Hewlett-Packard confirmed yesterday that it would cut a total of
5,900 positions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa as it
continues its restructuring efforts following the acquisition of
Compaq Computer earlier this year.
The company made the announcement to employees in those regions
late on Tuesday, without announcing exactly where or when the
layoffs will occur, said Monica Sarkar, an HP spokeswoman.
A decision on where the layoffs will take place geographically and
at which divisions is expected to come following scrutiny from
regulators in each region, Sarkar added.
Since the Compaq acquisition, HP has about 46,000 employees in
Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
HP chairman and chief executive officer Carly Fiorina has said that
15,000 jobs would be cut from the combined company worldwide as a
result of the acquisition.
About two-thirds of those job cuts are expected to take place
before November, with the remaining cuts taking place by the close
of HP's 2003 financial year, which ends 31 October 2003.
Fiorina has pledged that layoffs and other reorganisation efforts
will reduce operating costs by $2.5bn (£1.6bn) by the end of that
financial year.