Deutsche Telecom announces job cuts in 2009

    BEIJING, Aug. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Deutsche Telekom AG said Wednesday a self-imposed moratorium will expire at the end of 2008 and the company will cut jobs.

    Spokeswoman Corinna Kielwein did not say how many cuts were likely for the Bonn-based company, Europe's biggest telecommunications company by sales. The Berliner Zeitung newspaper reported at least 2,000 positions out of 6,500 at its headquarters in Bonn and elsewhere in Germany would be eliminated.

    The company has been cutting an average of 10,000 jobs a year since it went public in 1995, ending its state-control. Currently, the company employs more than 240,000 in more than 50 countries.

    It put a moratorium in place in part to assuage unions as the company trims costs amid fierce competition from domestic and foreign rivals.

    At the start of July, it transferred approximately 50,000 jobs in its service and call center operations into new units following a six-week strike by workers seeking protection against job cuts at those operations until 2012.

    The company and union Ver.di agreed to lower wages in exchange for the protection of jobs until then.

    (Agencies)