ZT Medien lays off 50 of 175 employees
ZT Medien, publisher of the Zofinger Tagblatt and Solothurner Woche among others, is cutting up to 37.5 full-time positions. Around 50 of 175 employees from all areas of the company are likely to be affected. The reason is the departure of its largest customer.
This is the magazine Wildlife of the Swiss Small Animal Association, as ZT Medien, based in Zofingen AG, announced on Wednesday. The magazine had been produced and marketed by ZT Medien since 1926. In the middle of the year, however, the association sold the title to Schweizer Agrarmedien, which intends to publish the magazine independently in future.
Due to the loss of "ZT Medien's largest customer", the company now had to be "profoundly restructured", the statement continued. In addition, the loss of the printing order would lead to a "massively" lower utilization of the web press. If no other "equivalent" order is found, the company will even have to consider closing down.
Two-week consultation phase
"To protect the company", ZT Medien is therefore forced to cut a maximum of 37.5 full-time positions. The redundancies will be announced between November and June 2022. Around 50 employees are affected. This number could possibly be reduced through retirements or voluntary redundancies.
As this is a mass redundancy, the relevant provisions must be observed. There will be a consultation phase until November 10, during which employees can submit proposals on how redundancies can be avoided or limited. The Board of Directors will inform employees of its decision on November 19.
Downsizing for two years
ZT Medien AG employs 175 people. It publishes the Zofinger Tagblatt and the free weekly newspapers The Landanzeiger, Wiggertaler/Allgemeiner Anzeiger and Solothurn week out. Radio Inside is also part of the company.
Two years ago, ZT Medien still employed 240 people. The media company already cut 24 jobs in 2019 due to "structural changes in the media industry". In 2020, the company discontinued the two free weekly newspapers for economic reasons. Surentaler and Oberwiggertaler and a further 4.2 jobs were cut.
Schweizer Agrarmedien AG claims to be the largest agricultural publishing house in the country: The new owner of the Wildlife is published, among other things, in the weekly Farmers' newspaper and the monthly magazine The Green published. The publishing house also operates various online marketplaces such as Agropool.ch and Agrarjobs.ch. (SDA)
