Telecoms equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent plans to cut an
additional 1,000 jobs in France in 2009 and 2010, French unions
have said.
Union representative Marc Marandon said a staff meeting is due
to take place today in Lannion, France, to discuss the issue,
according to
Reuters.
The company has declined to comment, saying only that
Alcatel-Lucent began a programme to transform the group six months
ago.
The programme is aimed at improving the company's financial
performance, Alcatel-Lucent said in a statement.
The company is among the top telecoms equipment makers that have
been
hit hard by lower spending by consumers, service providers and
enterprises in the economic downturn.
Other traditional suppliers like Nokia, Cisco, and Motorola have
also taken hits. Nortel has dropped out of the top 10 altogether,
according to analyst firm
Telegeography.
Sales figures for communications companies for the first quarter
of 2009 showed a slowdown over the previous quarter.
The top 10 telecoms technology suppliers generated sales of
$59bn during the quarter. This was 5% down from the first quarter
of 2008 and 15% down from the previous quarter.