The newly-formed Bayer Schering Pharma is looking to lay off up to 1,300 employees at its Berlin plant, according to media reports coming out of Germany.

The Tagesspiegel newspaper first circulated the story and cited unnamed industry sources as saying that the job cuts at the plant, which was previously run by Schering AG and where over 5,000 people are employed, should begin at the end of 2007. This was followed by quotes attributed to the chairman of the firm's works council, Norbert Deutschmann by an AFX News partner, who said that a “socially acceptable” number of job cuts in Berlin could no longer be guaranteed.

Bayer limited itself to saying that the number of job cuts will be finalised after talks with the works council but when the company’s acquisition of Schering was first announced last March, the firms said that job losses could reach a level of 6,000 over the next few years, roughly 10% of the combined workforce.