French carmaker Renault is poised to announce 15,000 layoffs worldwide on Friday as it unveils a plan to boost its profitability and cope with faltering sales, a representative for the CFDT union said after meeting with the company.

Some 4,500 jobs would go in France, though largely through a voluntary departure plan and a retirement plan, the CFDT’s Franck Daout said on Thursday.

The overall cuts would affect just under 10 percent of Renault's 180,000 global workforce. The firm has around 48,500 staff in France.