Edipresse cuts 50 jobs
The Lausanne-based media company Edipresse is to cut 50 jobs over the next two years, 25 of them through redundancies. The reasons given are developments in the advertising market and the generally unfavorable economic situation. The editorial conference and the industry association Impressum are reacting with incomprehension. The Comedia trade union even accuses Edipresse of "greed for profit". Théo Bouchat, head of Edipresse Switzerland, counters that they want to make adjustments before it is too late.
As part of the restructuring measures announced on Wednesday, the Lausanne-based media company Edipresse will be cutting a total of 50 jobs over the next two years. This has been prompted by the subdued development of the advertising market and the generally unfavorable economic situation, Edipresse Switzerland Director Théo Bouchat announced in a press release on Wednesday. Those responsible are expecting 25 redundancies, with the remainder to be implemented through early retirement. A total of 17 journalist positions are affected.
In a communiqué, the editorial conference of the Vaudois newspaper expressed its dismay at the extent of the cuts and recalled that 8.5 jobs had already been cut last November. The editorial team will now meet for a general meeting on Thursday, as reported by SDA.
In a communiqué, the professional association Impressum disapproved of the actions of the Edipresse management. The redundancies violate the internal collective labor agreement as they were not negotiated. Furthermore, the redundancy program was solely aimed at maintaining the Group's profit margin and was not the result of an economic emergency.
The Comedia trade union expressed similar sentiments. It condemns the redundancies and accuses Edipresse of "greed for profit". The union also fears "further nasty surprises". It assumes that the savings in Switzerland will be used to finance Edipresse investments in Eastern Europe and Asia.
Bouchat, on the other hand, stated that the company wanted to "anticipate market developments". Among other things, Edipresse expects a slump in the advertising market and a further decline in income from newspaper and magazine sales. Edipresse anticipates potential savings of around CHF 20 million as a result of the downsizing. The funds freed up will be used to further develop the newspapers and electronic service offerings in the coming years.
In the last three years, the largest newspaper publisher in French-speaking Switzerland has had to record a decline in income from individual sales or subscriptions of nine million francs. In the current year, Bouchat expects advertising revenues in the Swiss market to fall by ten million francs compared to the previous year.
Only part of this is attributable to the economic slowdown. For the most part, it is a structural decline in advertising volumes in the print media. More and more advertisers are turning their backs on newspapers or at least reducing their commitment. "We have to adapt to this before it's too late," said Bouchat. He does not believe that the readership will notice the reduction, as the decision has been made to cut back on services that are no longer in demand.
The Edipresse management also announced significant repositioning of the titles Le Matin semaine and 24heures for the following months.
(Image: Keystone)
In a communiqué, the editorial conference of the Vaudois newspaper expressed its dismay at the extent of the cuts and recalled that 8.5 jobs had already been cut last November. The editorial team will now meet for a general meeting on Thursday, as reported by SDA.
In a communiqué, the professional association Impressum disapproved of the actions of the Edipresse management. The redundancies violate the internal collective labor agreement as they were not negotiated. Furthermore, the redundancy program was solely aimed at maintaining the Group's profit margin and was not the result of an economic emergency.
The Comedia trade union expressed similar sentiments. It condemns the redundancies and accuses Edipresse of "greed for profit". The union also fears "further nasty surprises". It assumes that the savings in Switzerland will be used to finance Edipresse investments in Eastern Europe and Asia.
Bouchat, on the other hand, stated that the company wanted to "anticipate market developments". Among other things, Edipresse expects a slump in the advertising market and a further decline in income from newspaper and magazine sales. Edipresse anticipates potential savings of around CHF 20 million as a result of the downsizing. The funds freed up will be used to further develop the newspapers and electronic service offerings in the coming years.
In the last three years, the largest newspaper publisher in French-speaking Switzerland has had to record a decline in income from individual sales or subscriptions of nine million francs. In the current year, Bouchat expects advertising revenues in the Swiss market to fall by ten million francs compared to the previous year.
Only part of this is attributable to the economic slowdown. For the most part, it is a structural decline in advertising volumes in the print media. More and more advertisers are turning their backs on newspapers or at least reducing their commitment. "We have to adapt to this before it's too late," said Bouchat. He does not believe that the readership will notice the reduction, as the decision has been made to cut back on services that are no longer in demand.
The Edipresse management also announced significant repositioning of the titles Le Matin semaine and 24heures for the following months.
(Image: Keystone)
