WRAL

RTP's Nortel Sees Another Round Of Layoffs RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, 5:48 p.m. EDT August 16, 2001 -- Nortel employees knew layoffs were coming, but they did not know who would be affected until Thursday.

Anxiety started building when Nortel announced earlier this summer they lost $17 billion.

It is not known yet how many employees were laid off in the Triangle Thursday, but it is part of the 30,000 layoffs Nortel has announced over the last couple of months.

The global Internet and communications company at one time had 90,000 employees worldwide, including 7,000 in the Triangle, but those numbers continue to dwindle.

For workers still on the job, it is a tough situation.

"The tensions have been pretty high. We've been pretty nervous. It's kind of hard to concentrate on your job when you don't know if you might be laid off in a couple of days, so it's kind of hard to work right now," said Nortel employee Steve Nielson.

The former employees have been offered a severance package, but the contents of that package are not yet known.

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2001