Tamedia cuts 34 jobs in five newsrooms

Context

TL;DR

• 34 full-time positions will be eliminated.
• 41 people affected across five Swiss newsrooms.
• 75% work in German-speaking Switzerland.
• 25% work in Romandy.

Key facts

• Measure → 34 full-time positions eliminated
• People affected → 41 employees
• Newsrooms involved → Zurich, Bern, Basel, Lausanne and Geneva
• Distribution → 28 employees (75%) in German-speaking Switzerland and 9 (25%) in Romandy
• Communication → individual meetings by the end of the month

Tamedia announced today the elimination of 34 full-time positions at its newspapers. The measure affects 41 people in the newsrooms of Zurich, Bern, Basel, Lausanne and Geneva, as reported by Keystone-ATS.

The distinction between positions and people is the first element to note: the statement refers to full-time positions being eliminated and, separately, to employees affected by the measure.

Distribution across the newsrooms

Of the 41 employees affected, 28 work in German-speaking Switzerland, representing 75%, while 9 work in Romandy, representing 25%. Tamedia also specifies that 4 employees are part of the Print desk. The distribution communicated therefore combines the language region where employees work with their placement in the area indicated by the publisher.

The people affected will be informed during individual meetings by the end of the month. In Romandy, the information is subject to the results of the consultation procedure. Employee representatives and the social partners were informed in advance and involved in the process.

Social plan and reasons for the decision

Tamedia will implement a social plan accompanied by support measures. The statement mentions opportunities for professional retraining and early retirement. The company also says that, wherever possible, it will seek opportunities for internal redeployment.

The publisher links the decision to changes in the use of media offerings and in readers’ expectations. According to the statement, the sharp decline in the advertising market and the growing shift of Swiss advertising budgets toward global platforms are also factors.

Tamedia recalls that it has invested heavily in initial and continuing training, the digitalization of processes and innovative technologies. According to the group, resources can thus be mobilized more selectively where they create greater value for subscribed readers.

“Behind every job are people who have left their mark on Tamedia through their commitment,” CEO Jessica Peppel-Schulz says in the statement.

The executive adds that the organization must be economically sustainable so that it can continue investing in quality journalism, strong brands and relevant products.

Operational details

What changes in practical terms

The announcement should be read on two levels. The first is corporate: 34 full-time positions are being eliminated, while 41 employees are affected by the measure announced by Tamedia. The second is organizational: more than one location is affected, and the source does not present the breakdown by canton, but by German-speaking Switzerland, Romandy and Print desk.

A non-uniform procedure

For those who will receive an individual interview, the practical issue is not only the overall number. Their placement within the scope indicated by the publisher matters, because for Romandy the information process is linked to the consultation procedure. For the other employees, the announcement indicates that the interviews will take place by the end of the month. The note does not describe an identical outcome for everyone: it mentions retraining, early retirement and the search for internal redeployment opportunities as measures or options.

This wording makes it possible to distinguish what Tamedia is announcing from what will have to be clarified individually. A social plan is planned for the people concerned, while internal redeployment is pursued wherever possible. For this reason, the announcement cannot be turned into an already defined outcome for every employee.

The economic context

The publisher's rationale sheds light on the specific pressure on newspaper financing: the use of media offerings and readers' expectations are changing, the advertising market is declining sharply, and Swiss budgets are shifting towards global platforms. The announcement does not attribute the decision to SECO and does not provide general statistics on the labor market.

There are no individual figures on income, contributions or expenses. Consequently, the numbers in the announcement cannot be used to infer a personal impact on AVS/AHV, LPP/BVG or LAMal/KVG. A comparison with costo della vita in Svizzera may help organize the budget, but it does not replace the information from the interview or the social plan.

The national-level picture therefore remains concrete but limited in scope: the news describes a reorganization at Tamedia, with specified locations and categories, not a general measure for all Swiss workers.

Useful planning tools

To estimate your pension strategy, use the pension planner and the pillar 3 simulator.

Key points

Practical steps for those affected

The sequence outlined by Tamedia makes it possible to prepare without anticipating outcomes that the source does not announce. The only explicit deadline is that for individual meetings by the end of the month, with the caveat related to the consultation in Romandy.

Four checks before the meeting

1. Identify where you fit. The statement distinguishes the Zurich, Bern, Basel, Lausanne and Geneva newsrooms, German-speaking Switzerland, Romandy and the Print desk. This classification helps clarify which part of the communication concerns your situation, without confusing location, linguistic region and the indicated unit.

2. Prepare questions about the social plan. During the meeting, it is advisable to ask which accompanying measures may apply: the note mentions professional retraining and early retirement. Any possible opportunities for internal redeployment should also be clarified, which Tamedia says it will seek where possible.

3. Separate the timetable from the decision. For Romandy, individual notification is conditional on the results of the consultation procedure. Until that step, it is not correct to treat the communication as an identical outcome for all employees.

4. Organize your personal financial picture. Before considering a choice, you can gather the busta paga svizzera, the AVS/AHV and LPP/BVG items, and the LAMal/KVG premium. To explore these elements in greater depth, guide AVS/LPP/rendita and page LAMal/cassa malati are also available.

If internal redeployment were not feasible, the market can be explored via the annunci di lavoro, keeping this search separate from the measures in the social plan. The source does not indicate any other deadlines, documents or procedures: the operational reference point remains the individual meeting and, for Romandy, the consultation mentioned.

To compare disposable income and expenses before making a decision, use the calcolatore stipendio.

Source: swissinfo.ch