Made by Nataly Prokosheva “Unions battle PSA Peugeot

Made by Nataly Prokosheva “Unions battle PSA Peugeot Citroën over 4,000 French job losses”

To axe UK (US also the ax) when someone loses their job Over 500 staff are facing the axe at the Nottingham factory.

To trim to reduce the amount or size of something They're trying to trim their costs, so staff who leave are not being replaced.

To play down to make something seem less important or less bad than it really is In a statement the company played down the loss of posts, saying there would be "no impact on research and development in the group in 2012".

To downgrade to reduce someone or something to a lower rank or position, or to make something less important or less valued The credit ratings agency threatened to downgrade Peugeot Citroën.