Vodafone Germany cutting 2,000 jobs as part of savings programme

Vodafone Germany is cutting and relocating around 2,000 jobs in a bid to save €400 million in the next two years, the company announced on Tuesday, reported dpa.

Vodafone currently employs around 15,000 people in Germany, which means that 13% of employees would be affected by the programme.

In addition to job cuts, Vodafone Germany plans to reduce material and operating costs, head of the company Philipp Rogge said in a speech to employees.

The measures affect, for example, systems that are outdated or duplicated following company takeovers. Rogge is leaving the company at the end of March.

Vodafone Germany has been undergoing a process of change for years. Under Rogge's predecessor Hannes Ametsreiter, many customers recently complained that Vodafone was not able to fulfil its bold advertizing promises when it came to landline connections, for example.

Rogge on Tuesday explained that Vodafone has begun to realign itself - and has returned to growth with improved networks and offers in recent quarters. "Over the next two years, Vodafone therefore wants to become even simpler, faster, leaner and therefore more powerful," Rogge said.