Telecoms giant Nortel Networks is cutting up to 350 jobs at three of its UK plants, including one in Harlow.

The majority of the redundancies will be at the firm's plant in Maidenhead, Berks, although jobs will also go at its New Southgate centre in north London.

A spokesman said the cuts followed the company's decision, announced last year, to reduce its global workforce from 94,500 to 48,000.

''We are hoping the majority will go through voluntary redundancy, so minimising the impact of any compulsory job losses,'' he said.

The collapse of the telecoms market in the wake of the US economic downturn has already claimed hundreds of Essex jobs, with Marconi in Chelmsford particularly hard hit. Marconi was also forced to sell its Basildon-based petrol pump business.

Published Thursday, March 21, 2002