HP to cut 5,900 European jobs

Hewlett-Packard Corp is to cut around 5,900 jobs from a total of 46,000 in Europe as a consequence of the merger with Compaq Computer Corp, the boss of HP Germany, Heribert Schmitz, was quoted as saying today.

The cuts are part of a total of 15,000 worldwide announced earlier this year by HP chief executive Carly Fiorina.

Schmitz declined to say how many jobs might go in Germany, where HP employs 5,900 and Compaq 2,600.

Final figures for Europe will be announced at the end of next week. The group "hopes, where possible, to implement the job cuts without redundancies," Schmitz said.