Alcatel-Lucent ( ALU ) says that roughly one of every seven workers will be let go as the telecom equipment giant makes a last-ditch effort to turn its business around. About 20% of the 10,000 job cuts will take place in North and South America, with the rest split between Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific region, where 3,800 people will lose their jobs. Alcatel-Lucent is headquartered in Paris, and CEO Michael Combes reportedly briefed French government officials on the cuts before announcing them publicly. Roughly 900 jobs will be lost in France, and the country's CFDT union has said it will fight for changes to the company's plan. The workforce reduction is a part of Alcatel-Lucent's Shift Plan, announced last June by its new Combes shortly after he took over as CEO. Combes wants to refocus the company on IP networking and mobile broadband by concentrating jobs and research dollars in those areas.