Protests against cutbacks at TX Group in Zurich and Lausanne
Several hundred media professionals of the TX Group protested on Tuesday in Zurich and in Lausanne against the announced job cuts at the Tamedia titles and at 20 Minuten and 20 Minutes. A total of 80 jobs are threatened.
Well over 100 TX Group employees protested in Zurich on Tuesday against job cuts. According to the journalists' association Impressum, there were around 250.
The protesters unfurled a banner in front of TX Group headquarters that read "Solidarity with those affected - Stop downsizing." The group includes titles such as Tages-Anzeiger, 20 minutes or Bernese Newspaper.
The staff handed over an open letter to Tamedia CEO Jessica Peppel-Schulz, which, in addition to the savings freeze, demands a journalistic vision and that shareholders forego dividends.
Several speakers spoke of ever new cost-cutting measures, some of which were not even known to the public. For example, jobs are often not filled again. Other media houses, too, would only save money. "Quality journalism in Switzerland is dying by the slice," they said.
Action also in Lausanne
The protest was prompted not least by the fact that many long-serving employees had received their notice of termination last week, as Keystone-SDA was able to learn from the workforce.
The action was organized by the staff and supported by the Syndicom trade union and the Imprint journalists' association. An action was also held in Lausanne at the same time.
According to the imprint, this demonstration was attended by around 140 journalists and employees of 24 Heures, the Tribune de Genève and the T editorial team - the joint editorial team for Tamedia's French-speaking Swiss titles - took part. They were joined by colleagues from the editorial office of 20 Minutes to which lematin.ch and Sport-Center belong.
One of the protesting journalists from French-speaking Switzerland denounced a corporation that has "no other goal than profit at any price" and whose policies are leading to the "grounding of the press in French-speaking Switzerland."
TX Group recently announced plans to cut 56 jobs in French-speaking Switzerland and around 30 in German-speaking Switzerland. Affected are employees of 20 minutes, 20 Minutes and the pay title. TX Group has managed to arouse national solidarity with the massive cutback of a total of 80 jobs, wrote Imprint.
Tamedia, which combines the pay newspapers, already saved around CHF 70 million between 2020 and 2022. Among other things, the editorial teams of Bernese Newspaper and Confederation merged. (SDA)
