SDA labor dispute: Reko and unions satisfied
The editorial commission (Reko) of SDA, the trade union Syndicom and the professional association Impressum were basically satisfied with the settlement in front of the media in Bern on Wednesday.
"We are at the end of a marathon. 148 days after the strike of the SDA editorial staff, a settlement has been signed," said Reko member Sebastian Gänger at the media conference. The strike, which the editorial staff had carried out as a united front, had paid off. He said that the result was particularly pleasing for employees over 60, but that it left a bad taste in the mouth, since an agreement could have been reached as early as mid-February during negotiations with the Board of Directors.
Originally, a reduction of 35.6 jobs had been planned. Due to layoffs, staff reductions and around 25 voluntary departures in recent months and weeks, the reduction is now greater than originally planned, according to Gänger. The Vice President of the Syndicom union, Stephanie Vonarburg, also sees the bottom line as a good result. The central point is that the over-60s have the choice of accepting reemployment or leaving in accordance with the social plan.
"The same pay and conditions as before and protection against dismissal for the over-60s, that's something we've never had in the media industry before," Vonarburg said. Moreover, the severance payments are real severance payments, as they are not tied to any other conditions. Imprint Central Secretary Michael Burkard described the settlement as a "relatively good result. In view of the millions of euros in dividends paid out, however, it was only "crumbs from the table of the publishers. Imprint hopes for more foresight and social competence from the merged board of directors. (SDA)
