Ex-employees of Le Matin demand acceptable social plan

Five months, one week and one day after announcing the end of Le Matin on paper, Zurich-based media company Tamedia has still not submitted a decent social plan to the 41 journalists, photographers and graphic designers who have been laid off, those affected wrote in an open letter read out in front of Tamedia's publishing building in Lausanne and distributed to passers-by. The protesters carried yellow placards with a militant fist and the inscription "Support for the 41 of Matin." Negotiations with Tamedia's management had reached a deadlock, said one employee on behalf of the 41 dismissed employees, lamenting: "Tamedia pretends to continue negotiations, but since June has made no concessions, nothing."

All this is lost time. Instead of being able to continue their education and reintegrate into the difficult job market, they were still waiting for financial compensation and support measures. Most of the 41 employees of Le Matin Print have been unemployed since the newspaper was discontinued.

Tamedia wants arbitration proceedings
The media group Tamedia had announced on Wednesday evening that it was prepared to go down the path of arbitration in the matter of compensation for the dismissed Le Matin employees. Tamedia believes that the proposed social plan is generous and in line with the customs of the industry and the realities of the labor market. The offer is even better than the offers made by other Swiss publishers in recent years, Tamedia emphasized.

The editorial staff of Tamedia Romandie had gone on strike in July in protest against the discontinuation of the print version of Le Matin, but the strike was later suspended in favor of a negotiated solution. The last printed edition of Le Matin appeared on July 21. (SDA)