EADS cutting 5,800 jobs

Airbus parent EADS will cut 5,800 jobs in Europe in a three-year restructuring of its defense and space activities. The company said the restructuring would lead to a substantial consolidation of sites across Germany, France, Spain and the UK, where cuts will be made. To cushion the impact, EADS pledged to open up 1,500 posts at Airbus and helicopter division Eurocopter for the redeployment of affected staff. The restructuring coincides with plans to merge the company's defense and space divisions into one unit combining its share of Eurofighter combat jets and Ariane space rockets as the defense industry absorbs government budget cuts. The move will put EADS on a potential collision course with a French union that pledged to resist forced cuts. (Sources: Reuters, EADS, 12/09/13) Gulf Coast note: Airbus is building a 1,000-worker A320 final assembly line in Mobile, Ala. It will open in 2015. Previous related