Australia's Telstra to cut 2 percent jobs

MELBOURNE, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Telstra Corp Ltd (TLS.AX), Australia's top telephone company, plans to cut 800 jobs, or about 2 percent of its staff, looking to strip out layers of management as it starts using better systems, it said on Thursday.

The move follows the culling of 6,107 jobs over the past three years as part of a five-year plan to cut costs and transform its networks.

A spokesman declined to say how much Telstra expected to save with the job cuts. "We haven't changed our guidance at all," spokesman Andrew Butcher said.

Telstra has forecast 6-8 percent growth in earnings before interest and tax in fiscal year to June 2009. Telstra shares were down 1.5 percent at A$4.08, outperforming a 2.8 percent fall in the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO.

"The changes will mean fewer senior and middle managers, as well as support staff, are required to back the sales and marketing efforts of our front-line staff," Telstra said in a statement.

The latest jobs will come out of Telstra's consumer, business, regional, internet, marketing and product management divisions. ($1=A$1.27) (Reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by Denny Thomas)