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'Sub-arctic' atmos at RIM UK as jobs apocalypse looms

Sickly octopus refuses to confirm or deny tentacle's fate

Workers at RIM European's headquarters in Slough have been warned job cuts are coming, it is understood, after CEO Thorsten Heins threatened in June to axe 5,000 staff globally.

Employees were called into a meeting on Tuesday afternoon and told of the redundancies, a Register source said, adding that the cuts are deeper than expected and had fallen across both the consumer and enterprise teams.

Our informant described the atmosphere in the Slough HQ as "sub-Arctic".

In a back-of-the-beer-mat (BOTBM) calculation, the Reg reckons that if 5,000 jobs are to go at RIM this year, and 3,000 went in North America in August, then circa 1,000 to 1,500 people are likely to be facing redundancy in Europe.

Before this year's job cuts started, RIM employed 16,500 staff globally. Last summer it let go 2,000 employees, although RIM has refused to confirm the latter number.

We put the above account to RIM UK, asking its mouthpieces if the details laid out are correct. Its PR team would only reiterate Heins' tinned statement:

Our financial target is to drive at least $1 billion in savings by the end of fiscal 2013, based on our Q4 2012 run rate, and headcount reductions are part of this initiative. RIM has reduced some positions as part of this programme and may continue to do so as the company methodically works through a review of the business.

Specifics on geography could not be offered, we were told, so there are no details on who is getting cut where. RIM said it will provide more information when its Q2 FY13 results come out on 28 September, 2012. ®

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