Russian carmaker AvtoVAZ is asking employees to voluntarily retire in exchange for a generous retirement package, Vedomosti reported June 6. The company, which is one of Russia’s biggest employers outside of the energy sector, cut 44,000 jobs last year. This year, it is looking to cut another 10 percent of its staff. The cuts will be detrimental as elections approach and are another bad sign for Russia’s struggling economy . AvtoVAZ has been in negotiations with trade unions to prevent protests, but it is unclear whether its efforts will be successful.