British telecoms operator BT decided to cut 15,000 more jobs this year on Thursday, one day after revealing a 1.6-billion-pound (about US$2.1 billion) write-down in its global services.

The firm said it had cut 15,000 jobs last year, which was 5,000 more than expected.

The latest 15,000 job cuts represent 10 percent of the firm's current workforce.

"Our aim is to work closely with the unions to reduce BT's total labor cost, of both direct and indirect staff, as this is critical to the success of the company going forward," said a BT spokesman.

Annual revenues at its retail unit, which provides phone lines and broadband to homes and smaller firms, fell slightly to 8.47 billion pounds (about US$12.79 billion) from 8.48 billion pounds (about US$12.80 billion) a year earlier.

Revenues at its wholesale unit, which runs its networks, declined 6 percent to 4.7 billion pounds (about US$7.1 billion).

"Three out of four of BT's lines of business have performed well in spite of fierce competition and the global economic downturn," said BT chief executive Ian Livingston.

"However this achievement has been overshadowed by the unacceptable performance of BT Global Services and the resulting charges we have taken."

(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2009)