15 Sep 2009 20:09

Avtovaz officially announces plans to cut 5,000 personnel

MOSCOW. Sept 15 (Interfax) - The Russian Health and Social Development Ministry has been officially informed of the AvtoVAZ management's plans to cut the jobs of 5,000 workers, and it has urged the company management and the Samara regional authorities to intensify efforts to abate tensions on the labor market, Director of the ministry's Employment and Labor Migration Department Tatyana Blinov told Interfax on Tuesday.

The cuts will affect the plant's management and employees, who have reached the pre-pension or pension age, she said.

On the anticipated scope of personnel cuts at AvtoVAZ, Blinova said that "hypothetically, 36,000 people could be dismissed by the end of the year, half of whom are people of pre-pension and pension age."

"But we have been officially informed about only 5,000 employees," she said.