In the wake of a February 27 deadline for putting forth a proposal as a way out from bankruptcy, Delphi Corp. has announced its decision of laying-off almost 800 employees in at its steering components facility near Saginaw in Michigan.

The job-cuts, announced Monday at Buena Vista Township's Delphi complex, will affect nearly 11 percent of the company's total workforce.

According to David Barnas, a spokesman for the bankrupt auto-parts maker, the cuts - hitting nearly 425 hourly workers and 350 salaried employees - will start becoming effective from March 1, and continue till May.

Earlier this month, a regulatory filing by Delphi, the ex-division of General Motors, said that it possessed adequate cash to see through its operations till April-end.

Commenting on the news of the proposed cuts by Delphi, Mike Hanley, president of United Auto Workers Local 699, said the company's move was a fairly predictable one. Since the year began, Delphi has been experiencing temporary leave of absence. In the opinion of Hanley, proletarian workers who leave voluntarily will get severance.