28/06/2002

WorldCom staff wait for details of job cuts

Staff at the troubled US telecoms giant WorldCom are bracing themselves for details of the 17,000 job cuts announced earlier this week.

The news follows Tuesday's revelation that the company was involved in a multi-billion dollar accounting scam. As a result WorldCom has been charged with fraud by the US financial services watchdog.

The majority of the job cuts is expected to hit WorldCom's operations in North and South America, with around 650 posts under threat in Europe.

WorldCom's UK operations, based in Reading, could see as few as 200 jobs axed, out of about 3,000 employees.

The company's Irish operations in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway are also under threat with 180 jobs likely to go.

This is just the latest blow to the company's workers in the Republic following the recent news that 10% of staff are to be laid off beginning Friday June 28.

(MB)

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