Mass layoffs: Tagi editorial team held protest rally
On Tuesday, the Tagi editorial team protested against the planned dismissal of over a quarter of the editorial staff with a demonstration and a leaflet. The measure in the middle of the recession is "a mass redundancy in advance" and "without necessity", they wrote in a communiqué.
In a two-page leaflet sent out on Tuesday and at a rally, the Tages-Anzeiger editorial team protested against the planned redundancies of more than a quarter of the Tagi editorial team, which equates to around 80 people or 57 full-time positions. The measure in the middle of the recession is "a mass redundancy in advance" and "without necessity". Tamedia is thus only increasing the profits of its owners and jeopardizing the credibility of the Tages-Anzeiger. At 12.00 noon on Tuesday, around 100 members of the editorial team also held a demonstration in front of the Tagi editorial office on Zurich's Werdstrasse. The redundancies will be announced from Wednesday to Friday, when every single employee will find out whether or not they are being made redundant.
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The editorial team's criticism is primarily aimed at the discrepancy between Tamedia's huge investments on the one hand and the hasty job cuts on the other. Last year, the Group closed the year with deep black figures. At CHF 74.4 million, the Newspapers division made the largest contribution to the profit of CHF 105.8 million. In addition, CHF 42 million in dividends had been paid out, the Group was planning a new five-storey building with a star architect, and it had recently acquired Edipresse for CHF 226 million.
It is the first time in the history of the Tages-Anzeiger that it is in the red, said Daniel Suter from the staff committee in his speech on Tuesday. They are all aware that the subscription-based daily newspaper will have to make do with less advertising revenue in future, Suter continued. However, neither the current recession nor the development of the newspaper market called for such a cutback.
The letter also addresses the current problematic situation of the print business. It is acknowledged that the newspaper's crisis is not only due to a recession, but also to a structural change. Nevertheless, the editorial team demands respect from Tamedia for its employees at the Tages-Anzeiger, which has been the financial backbone of the Group for over 100 years. It is therefore calling on Tamedia to accept that the Tagi will be in the red for an appropriate transitional period of at least two years, to reduce or stagger job cuts, to fill vacancies at Tamedia internally and to consider short-time working.
" Imprint and Comedia: "A strong signal from the Tages-Anzeiger editorial team"
" Bund editorial team defends itself against staff cuts
The editorial team's criticism is primarily aimed at the discrepancy between Tamedia's huge investments on the one hand and the hasty job cuts on the other. Last year, the Group closed the year with deep black figures. At CHF 74.4 million, the Newspapers division made the largest contribution to the profit of CHF 105.8 million. In addition, CHF 42 million in dividends had been paid out, the Group was planning a new five-storey building with a star architect, and it had recently acquired Edipresse for CHF 226 million.
It is the first time in the history of the Tages-Anzeiger that it is in the red, said Daniel Suter from the staff committee in his speech on Tuesday. They are all aware that the subscription-based daily newspaper will have to make do with less advertising revenue in future, Suter continued. However, neither the current recession nor the development of the newspaper market called for such a cutback.
The letter also addresses the current problematic situation of the print business. It is acknowledged that the newspaper's crisis is not only due to a recession, but also to a structural change. Nevertheless, the editorial team demands respect from Tamedia for its employees at the Tages-Anzeiger, which has been the financial backbone of the Group for over 100 years. It is therefore calling on Tamedia to accept that the Tagi will be in the red for an appropriate transitional period of at least two years, to reduce or stagger job cuts, to fill vacancies at Tamedia internally and to consider short-time working.
