GE to cut 6,500 Alstom jobs in Europe over the next two years

Most of the jobs to go are in support roles like HR, legal and communication

GE had promised to create jobs as part of its bid for Alstom to address concerns by French regulators (Glassdoor)

General Electric, the US manufacturing giant, will cut up to 6,500 jobs in European energy units it bought from French engineering giant Alstom over the next two years.

That number includes 765 job cuts in France and another 600 in the UK.

As part of GE's takeover of French Alstom, which was approved in September 2015, GE promised to create 1,000 jobs in France.

A spokesperson for GE said that it was sticking to these plans. Job cuts are exppected to go at headquarters in Lavallois and La Defense, but not at Belfort, the heart of Alstom's former energy unit.

Most of the jobs to go are in support roles like HR, legal and communication.

The spokesman said that unions had been informed and that talks were expected in the coming days.

“This is a plan, which could change following discussion with employee representatives,” he said.

GE had promised to create jobs as part of its bid for Alstom, to address concerns by French regulators that a deal could adversely affect employment and competition in the sector.

GE gained some 65,000 employees when it acquired Alstom's energy business, which includes gas and steam turbines, wind turbines, turbines for hydro dams and power grids. The company already employed 305,000.