Blackberry cuts 2,000 jobs

There were grim scenes at the BlackBerry headquarters at Waterloo near here Monday after the most famous Canadian company axed 2,000 jobs - about 11 percent of its total workforce.

The biggest lay-off in the history of Research In Motion (RIM), which invented the smart phone, reduced its global workforce to 17,000 with one stroke.

Since many of those dismissed Monday belonged to its 9,000 strong local staff in Waterloo and nearby Cambridge, grim scenes were witnessed outside RIM plants soon after the BlackBerry maker announced the steepest job cuts in its history.

"Dozens of cabs were dispatched to company offices in Cambridge and Waterloo, where employees were escorted out the door by security guards moments after getting their layoff notices. Clutching manila folders, about 50 workers were led to waiting taxis which drove them home," reported the local Hamilton Spectator.

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