EMI has begun what I believe corporate types like to call a "consultation process" with its UK staff regarding those job cuts that have been expected at the major ever since January.
As previously reported, earlier this year EMI boss Guy Hands revealed that about a third of EMI's 4500 workforce would be axed in the first half of 2008 as part of his major restructuring and cost cutting programme which, he hopes, will help turn round the fortunes of the London based music firm. With a disproportionately high number of staff in home country the UK, a disproportionately high number of the cuts will take place among EMIers based here. Jobs in recorded music division EMI Music and corporate parent company EMI Group will go - no jobs are expected to be lost at the more profitable EMI Music Publishing.
The consultation process - which is a statutory requirement before a major downsize - could last up to ninety days. Once it has been decided who will stay and who will go the axe is expected to fall quite rapidly on those who are out.
Despite the pending cull of over 1500 people, the atmosphere seemingly remains relatively calm within EMI, possibly because the cuts weren't that big a surprise when first announced in January (they'd seemed pretty likely ever since Hands' Terra Firma equity outfit acquired EMI last year, and had arguably been a long time coming), possibly because many believe Hands' grand plan for EMI, while not so fun to implement, might just work, and possibly also because EMIers are aware all four majors are, in fact, cutting their wage bill at the moment, it's just that only EMI are losing so many at one time.
EMI have not formally commented on the consultation process or any timeline for the cuts.