15,000 facing the axe at Siemens

Scandal-plagued electronics giant Siemens could cut as many as 15,000 jobs worldwide, with the UK taking some of the pain.

It is believed the German multinational facing a rash of corruption charges is preparing to slash the workforce in its sales and administrative divisions. A Siemens official said: "We are planning to make a statement soon."

Trade union IG Metall is demanding clarification from the bosses "as soon as possible", Siemens chief executive Peter Loscher recently announced that the company planned to cut its sales and administrative costs by 10% by 201 to save €1.2 billion (£952 million). He also said the savings would include job cuts - but no one expected the cost to the workforce to be so high.

In Germany alone, between 3000 and 4000 jobs could be at risk. The company employs 435,000 workers worldwide.

It has been plagued since 2006 by the biggest corruption scandal in German corporate history.