Industry agreement Press: Syndicom says yes

At the industry conference for media professionals on April 28, 2026, syndicom approved the industry agreement for the press to regulate minimum working conditions. The collective agreement is a compromise that was reached in numerous rounds of negotiations with the publishers' association VSM, according to the press release. After two decades without a binding collective agreement - characterized by rounds of cost-cutting and mass redundancies - the agreement is intended to create urgently needed minimum standards for the industry.

Minimum standards instead of a «legal vacuum»

According to syndicom, the press industry agreement obliges the signatory publishing houses to comply with binding minimum standards for the first time in decades. In a labor market that has so far been characterized by wage pressure, uncertainty and permanent staff cuts, this represents an important step out of the contractless situation.

The improvements for young professionals are particularly noticeable. The agreed starting salaries are above the previous level and correct some of the structural underpayment of young media professionals. Stephanie Vonarburg, Head of Sector Media and Vice President of syndicom, puts it this way: «A collective agreement must start where the pressure is greatest: with the lowest wages and the weakest employment relationships. An industry only has a future if it remains attractive to young talent. With the industry agreement, we expect concrete improvements in entry-level wages for around 20 percent of potential subordinates.»

The agreement thus creates a foundation on which further improvements can be built and prevents further setbacks in working conditions.

Points of criticism from freelance media professionals

Despite this important step, the industry agreement falls short of syndicom's demands on one key point. The biggest point of criticism concerns the fees for freelance media professionals: These are not set in a binding manner, but should merely be «appropriate». In view of the fact that freelance media professionals have felt the consequences of the contractless situation particularly keenly, this is inadequate. At least syndicom was able to negotiate a fundamental recognition of the need for appropriate fees.

Vonarburg emphasizes: «The fees for freelancers must be regulated and improved. A daily rate of less than 550 francs is not appropriate, they can't live on that. This is recognized in every trade and must become the minimum standard again in the media industry. But this will require a lot of educational work and awareness-raising.»

After the decision, it is the publishers' turn

Following syndicom's decision, it is now the VSM's turn: it will decide on its approval on May 7. In a public announcement on April 22, the VSM Executive Committee cleared the way for this. impressum has also declared its intention to join. For the industry agreement to come into force, enough publishers must sign it to ensure that at least 3,000 employees are covered by the agreement - according to the agreed quorum, this corresponds to three quarters of those potentially covered.

Commitment to a strong CLA

The press industry agreement is limited to three years after coming into force until 2029. The social partners want to jointly review its implementation every year and also intend to develop it further. The agreement is therefore seen as the first step towards a veritable collective labor agreement.

Vonarburg, who represented syndicom as head of negotiations, is convinced: «A new CLA must start where the current agreement does not bring any progress or solutions: with binding minimum fees, wage development for all, protection against dismissals and permanently fair working conditions for all media professionals, whether permanent or freelance.»

Further information on syndicom and its commitment to media professionals: https://www.syndicom.ch