Lucent to cut 5,000 jobs in turnaround bid

NEWS Lucent Technologies' failed merger with Alcatel has forced the ailing company to make further jobs cuts as part of a turnaround plan. Another 5,000 staff will go on top of the 10,000 redundancies already planned for this month. According to a source cited by the Financial Times, Lucent will be targeting mid-level management with early retirement plans or buyouts. Henry Schacht, Lucent's chairman is reportedly said to have been unhappy with Alcatel's approach talks, which focussed on a take-over of Lucent rather than a merger with the company. An optimistic presentation by Schacht to analysts and investors yesterday helped push the company's share price up more than six per cent by the close of business.