THE human cost of creating a united ITV plc came to the fore yesterday when Granada and Carlton signalled job cuts were inevitable.

The media pair plan to boost savings from their merger to £100m.

Granada has declined to say how many jobs could go as a result of the £4.5bn tie-up with Carlton, which is expected to be completed in early February.

But it said three months of consultation with staff about its plans to achieve the savings would begin today.

That would indicate the number will be 100 or more as, by law, it would only be obliged to undertake such a lengthy consultation period if job cuts were above 99.

The two companies are planning to integrate certain broadcasting activities and improve operational efficiency as part of the deal.

They have identified £57m of savings on top of the £43m achieved since October last year, of which £24m came from Granada and £19m from Carlton.

Granada employs about 6,000 staff, while Carlton has about 2,500.

Trade unions, which have already called a ballot of Granada staff in protest at a pay offer, fear the merger could mean job cuts.

Granada's Charles Allen, chief executive designate of the enlarged group, said the planned savings would come partly from merging the companies' two head offices and corporate and back office functions and eliminating areas of duplication.