MILAN: UniCredit confirmed plans to cut 6,000 jobs in Italy over the next four years as the country`s biggest bank began the negotiation process with unions on Monday over layof fs and branch closures.

In December, UniCredit unveiled a new plan to 2023, under which it would cut 8,000 jobs and close 500 branches, angering Italian unions, which said then that they expected 5,500 layof f s and up to 450 branch closures.

In a letter to unions, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, the bank said that there would be 5,500 cuts in Italy under the new plan, plus a further 500 that it has yet to deliver under its previous plan to 2019.

The Milan-based lender, which also confirmed the 450 planned branch closuresin theletter, declined to comment.

`UniCredit continues to have an unacceptable attitude,` L ando Maria Sileoni, head of Italy`s biggest banking union FABI, said in statement that also called for fresh recruitment to offset some of the layoffs.

The UniCredit letter said the bank wanted to find `shared solutions` and pointed to early retirement for staff close to pension age the solution favoured by Italian banks.-Reuters