TX Group announced for its subsidiary Tamedia the elimination of approximately 200 full-time positions in the printing sector. A total of 90 positions in the editorial offices are also affected, TX Group stated late Monday night to Tuesday. No title is expected to disappear, but the group will primarily focus on the 24 Heures in French-speaking Switzerland.
Tamedia claims it can no longer operate three printing plants profitably. Two of them will be closed successively: the Bussigny (VD) printing center, which has been in operation since 1989, is likely to close at the end of March 2025, and the Zurich printing plant at the end of 2026. Thus, Tamedia will retain only its printing plant in Bern, which will be expanded.
According to the company, this center will have sufficient capacity to print the group’s titles and meet the demands of external clients. The choice was also made for Bern because of its central location in Switzerland, noted Tamedia’s CEO Jessica Peppel-Schulz during a press conference on Tuesday morning in Zurich.
In the various editorial offices of TX Group’s subsidiary, the restructuring will likely result in the elimination of 90 positions. For now, Tamedia has not provided further information and did not specify where, when, and how these positions will be eliminated.
The group has announced that the dismantling will be subject to a consultation process. Social plans will be implemented, with the possibility of early retirement. In addition to support, Tamedia indicates that it will offer affected employees financial assistance for development and retraining programs.
>> Details in the Forum program: Massive restructuring at Tamedia, which announces the elimination of 290 positions and focuses its printing activities in Bern / Forum / 2 min. / Tuesday at 18:02
A focus on digital
The daily 24 Heures will become the flagship title of the Léman arc, announced Jessica Peppel-Schulz. It is indeed “a generic title that has much more potential to grow in French-speaking Switzerland,” said editorial director Simon Bärtschi on the Forum microphone. Along with Tages-Anzeiger, Berner Zeitung, and Basler Zeitung, the Vaud media will be one of the “four strong brands” that will have to “achieve Tamedia’s digital growth.”
As for the digital versions of its other main titles, the Tribune de Genève and the Bund, Tamedia again does not provide further information but assures that they will retain “their own digital presence.” “As of today, we do not yet know if there will, for example, be one or two editorial offices between Lausanne and Geneva,” clarified Simon Bärtschi.
However, for him, it is clear that there will always be a need for regional offices to cover local news, as not all content from German-language titles can be merged or translated for the French-speaking press, without further commenting. He is, however, convinced that quality can be maintained despite these new cuts. It remains the priority, he promises.
>> Explanations in Forum:
Massive restructuring at Tamedia, which announces the elimination of 290 positions and refocuses its printing activities in Bern / Forum / 2 min. / Tuesday at 18:00
The print and digital versions of the Tribune de Genève will, however, be maintained, assured the two officials, without knowing exactly in what form for digital. All of Tamedia’s “print” brands will continue to exist, they insisted. Le Matin Dimanche, also owned by Tamedia, will therefore also remain.
Tamedia also intends to reorganize internally in the field of advertising marketing under the name Tamedia Advertising starting in early 2025. The integration of Goldbach’s teams and a closer relationship with the brands are expected to generate growth in advertising revenues, according to the group.
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Gloomy context for the press
Tamedia has undergone multiple restructurings in recent years. TX Group had already carried out layoffs at the end of last year. Nearly 80 positions were eliminated, including about sixty in French-speaking Switzerland within its free titles (20 Minutes) and paid titles (Tamedia) as well as at the Sport Center agency.
The context is also challenging for the rest of the Swiss press. The Zurich-based group Ringier will also eliminate 55 positions, while CH Media announced in December it would eliminate 140 full-time positions in German-speaking Switzerland. About thirty positions were also cut within the ESH Médias group (Nouvelliste, Arcinfo, La Côte).
>> Read again: The ESH Médias press group plans to cut up to 40 positions and Ringier will cut 55 positions instead of the initially planned 75
A “dismantling policy”
The syndicate syndicom has severely criticized the collective redundancy and the closure of the two printing centers in Lausanne and Zurich announced. Once again, Tamedia is focusing on maximizing profits instead of taking social responsibility and investing in journalism, it laments.
In its statement, syndicom urges the press group to revisit its business strategy, to retain the printing plants, and to preserve as many jobs as possible. The social plan must also be improved, the union emphasizes.
“Over the past 15 years, the shareholders of the TX group, owner of Tamedia, have pocketed more than 670 million in dividends on a profit of 2.2 billion euros while hundreds of employees were laid off. TX Group remains very profitable, and this dismantling policy disregarding employees must end,” blasted Stephanie Vonarburg, vice president and head of the media sector at syndicom, as quoted in the statement.
>> Read: The announcement of layoffs at Tamedia sparks sharp criticism from unions
Following Tamedia’s announcement, publishers grouped in the associations Schweizer Medien (VSM) and Médias Suisses have called for a strengthening of indirect support to the press, which is the only way to maintain the current private journalistic offer in Switzerland, according to VSM. The publishers thus support the recent proposals from the ad hoc committee of the National Council, which the National will debate in plenary in a month.
>> Analysis in Forum by Philippe Amez-Droz, lecturer at the University of Geneva, media economics specialist:
What future for Tamedia’s titles? interview with Philippe Amez-Droz / Forum / 5 min. / Tuesday at 18:00
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