Vodafone is planning to slash about 1,000 jobs in Italy as part of a larger cost saving plan the telecoms giant is pursuing to revamp its operations, two union officials told Reuters.

The figures emerged after an internal meeting between unions and company representatives in Italy on Thursday.

As of last March, Vodafone Italy has 5,765 employees, according to the group’s latest annual report.

A negotiation process with unions is expected to kick off in the coming weeks.

Vodafone’s planned jobs cuts are focused in particular on customer care operations.

Vodafone has been grappling with a challenging market, characterised by aggressive price competition which has eroded earnings.