General Motors Corp, pummeled by falling US sales and billions in losses, said Tuesday it is laying off hundreds of US salaried workers as part of a plan to bring its North American operations back to profitability.GM spokesman Robert Herta said he couldn’t give an exact figure, but said the cuts involve fewer than 500 workers at 30 locations across the United States, including factories and engineering centers.A cut of just under 500 jobs would represent about 1.3 per cent of GM’s US salaried work force of 36,000. The world’s biggest automaker has said it plans to cut 7 per cent of its salaried work force this year, so more cuts are on the way.GM shares slipped 2 cents to $22.91 in early trading on the NYSE.GM announced a restructuring plan last fall in the face of mounting losses. Under the plan, GM wants to cut 30,000 US hourly workers and close 12 facilities by 2008. GM lost $10.6 billion in 2005, largely because of declining sales and rising costs in North America.
