Tamedia: Protocol for job cuts in Western Switzerland

The employees of the French-speaking Swiss newspapers 24 Heures and Tribune de Genève have agreed with Tamedia on a protocol for negotiations on the reduction of 31 jobs. The publishing house rejected mediation by the cantonal governments. Tamedia had announced at the end of September that it would cut a total of 31 jobs. The savings were justified by declining revenues. At 24 Heures, 19 jobs will be cut, according to the editorial staff, and 16 employees face dismissal. At Tribune de Genève, 12 jobs will be cut, with 8 people facing redundancy.

After four rounds of negotiations, representatives of the editorial offices and the management of Tamedia in French-speaking Switzerland were able to agree on a negotiating framework, as the editorial offices announced on Wednesday. The talks will continue until at least mid-October. Tamedia rejected mediation by the cantonal governments in the process. The two economic directors Philippe Leuba and Pierre Maudet would have been willing to mediate. The editors recalled that Tamedia made a profit of CHF 334 million last year. They therefore described the job cuts as unjustified. They also suspect the publishing house of not treating French-speaking Switzerland equally. According to the editors, nothing was invested in the regional press in French-speaking Switzerland, while certain newspapers in German-speaking Switzerland in difficult situations received financial support, according to their information. They therefore demanded transparency on the business figures from the publishing house. The two newspapers are widely supported in their fight against job cuts. A petition received 3,000 signatures and numerous politicians, sportsmen and even the Attorney General of Vaud also spoke out against the cuts. SDA

Photo: Tamedia