GRENOBLE, France -- Hundreds of Hewlett-Packard employees walked off the job Friday to protest planned job cuts by the U.S. maker of computers and printers.

The largest of three walkouts was at the company's Grenoble site in southeastern France, which drew several hundred employees led by local officials and Mayor Michel Destot.

"Grenoble needs Hewlett-Packard, but Hewlett-Packard doesn't need Grenoble," Destot said.

Hewlett-Packard Co. said Monday it would cut 5,900 jobs in Europe as part of a global restructuring plan announced in July. HP France -- the French arm of the company -- said that 1,240 of the country's 4,800 jobs would be cut.

About 200 employees marched near a site outside Paris in Issy-les-Moulineaux and another 100 protested near their plant in Isle-d'Abeau in eastern France.

Shares of HP rose 11 cents to $27.98 in early afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.