GM seen cutting 5,000 white collar jobs by November 1

BANGALORE (Reuters) - General Motors Corp GM.N said it will cut 5,000 North American white-collar jobs, by November 1, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The move comes after the iconic American automaker earlier this month said it would cut white-collar costs by 20 percent as part of its plan to save $10 billion (5 billion pounds) in cash through 2009.

GM had also said it would scale back retiree health-care coverage and executive bonuses for 2008.

A GM spokeswoman did not immediately return a call and an e-mail seeking comment.

(Reporting by Varsha Tickoo in Bangalore)