Feb. 1 (Bloomberg) -- International Business Machines Corp. could more than 8,000 jobs in Germany in the long-term, Bert Stach, who represents labor union Ver.di in its negotiations with IBM, said by telephone today. “I don’t expect IBM to cut these jobs through mass layoffs, but instead by offering severance packages,” Stach said.

He said there are “medium- to long-term efforts” that could result in a reduction of the workforce of that magnitude, referring to a report in Handelsblatt today that said the company plans to cut 8,000 of a total 20,000 positions in Germany. “Whether it’s exactly 8,000, 6,000 or maybe even more than 8,000, that would be speculation,” Stach said.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Ragnhild Kjetland at rkjetland@bloomberg.net