Telefonica has reached an agreement with labor unions to extend the application period for voluntary redundancy. Employees can now request voluntary redundancy until 15 July, Cinco Dias reports, citing union sources. Telefonica recently announced that over 2,042 employees have accepted voluntary redundancy since the beginning of 2012. The figure exceeds Telefonica's initial forecast of around 1,500 employees for 2012. Around 4,401 workers accepted Telefonica's voluntary redundancy in 2011 and 2012. Overall, Telefonica plans to cut 6,500 jobs at its fixed-line unit, reducing its workforce in Spain by 20 percent by 2013.
