Gearing up for redundancies

Lada manufacturer AvtoVAZ is set to slash 26,700 jobs - a quarter of its workforce - amid fears of bankruptcy.
Chief executive Igor Komarov told a TV station in the Volga region city of Tolyatti that the plant was in a "critical condition" and faced "serious questions" about its future, Reuters reported.
RIA Novosti later reported that no confirmation of the job losses had been received by the Ministry of Health and Social Development.
The car plant, which is the major employer for Tolyatti's 700,000 population, already received a 25 billion rouble hand-out from state funds earlier this year, but Komarov fears that there will be no further support for the firm.
"We have been granted a 25 billion rouble loan which allowed us to live through the summer, pay salaries and debts, but I am sure that support in the same form will not be given to us again," Komarov said. "You know perfectly well that many consider AvtoVAZ a black hole."
A recent demonstration organised by the Yedinstvo union brought more than 2,000 people onto the streets calling for the plant to be nationalised. A further protest was due to take place on Monday.
In a bid to minimise the impact of redundancies, 13,000 of the staff will be given pensions to leave in the coming weeks, and a further 5,500 workers approaching pension age are also facing the axe.
Two-thirds of the younger employees thrown out of work have been told they will be needed again in 2012 when the plant starts a joint venture.
Sales of new cars in Russia have fallen sharply due to the economic crisis, putting pressure on local auto-manufacturers struggling to compete with international rivals.