Waves not yet calmed at Facts
A member of the Facts editorial team was to be given speaking time at the Tamedia general meeting. However, the editor was not allowed to speak. Tamedia says it regrets this misunderstanding. A new meeting has been scheduled for Thursday. However, the differences between the media company and the Facts staff have not yet been smoothed over.
"The AGM was not convened because of Facts, but because of the capital increase for the takeover of Espace Media," Tamedia media spokesperson Christoph Zimmer explained to Werbewoche. Before the meeting, Tamedia had agreed with the Facts editors and the trade unions that a delegate from the editorial team would be given speaking time. In return, a Comedia member, who is a shareholder of Tamedia, waived the speaking time to which he was entitled. "It was a misunderstanding, which we regret. During the AGM, Tamedia President Pietro Supino asked whether anyone else had a request to speak. Despite repeated requests, no one responded". Moser had assumed that he would be called upon personally.
Christof Moser confirmed to Werbewoche that there had been a misunderstanding. What are the editorial team's concerns? "We want our great commitment to be recognized by Tamedia. We have worked very hard, sometimes in difficult and uncertain times. Now we expect a flourishing media company to accommodate us, for example with a fair severance package," says Moser.
The demands also include a notice period that exceeds the statutory three months and the payment of vacation and overtime. "Vacation and overtime credits are regarded as compensated. There have been people who didn't take any vacation out of consideration for the magazine when a change in production was imminent." Moser also criticizes the fact that Tamedia promised to keep all employees on at the time of the closure decision, but now a week has passed without any talks having taken place. The way in which Tamedia's top management is communicating in view of the closure is offending many employees. "One member of the publishing house, for example, said that it was obvious that not everyone would be accommodated," explained Moser.
The benefits that Tamedia is offering correspond to a standard redundancy plan, says Tamedia spokesperson Zimmer. "We will provide 3 million francs or 60,000 francs per full-time position". For employees who are unemployed after being made redundant, there will be a maximum of six months' continued payment of salary. "What we are offering is largely within the framework of a social plan that we negotiated with Comedia in 2005. We are therefore surprised that the unions are now protesting," says Zimmer. Although individual aspects will be handled differently, the amount that will be made available to employees will not change.
In any case, an attempt will be made to offer as many employees as possible a position at Tamedia. "However, we have communicated from the outset that we can only hold talks once the employee participation period has expired." Legally, no dismissals have yet been announced for the same reason. A further meeting with delegates from the editorial team will now take place on Thursday.
"This meeting is only taking place on Thursday thanks to our protest," says Moser. It was originally scheduled for Tuesday. The editorial team will continue to campaign. It sees itself in a pioneering role in its fight and wants to communicate that media companies must also create good framework conditions for good journalism.
Moser's speech, which was not delivered, can be viewed on Medienlese.com.
