Swiss News Agency calls for help in job cuts conflict

by
Swissinfo
My articles My siteAbout meMy videosMy books
Follow on:TwitterFacebookGoogle +

Demonstrators turned out in support of the Swiss News Agency strike earlier this month, saying cuts mean "information is threatened" (Keystone) - Click to enlarge

After three weeks of talks, management and staff at the Swiss News Agency (SDA-ATS) have not managed to reach an agreement on job cuts, and are now calling for the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) to mediate.

Both sides agreed to the call. Their negotiations followed a strike in late January-early February over a plan to cut up to 40 jobs out of a total 180. The SDA-ATS is Switzerland’s only news wire service and the main source of news for many Swiss media.

+Read more about strikes in Switzerland

Management has offered some concessions, such as an extra month’s salary to people made redundant, according to the agency. But there is still no agreement on the number of job cuts. Management is sticking to the cuts announced, but staff want fewer jobs to go and better conditions for older workers who are made redundant.

Both delegations have agreed to another meeting on February 19, but they say the gap between them makes an early agreement unlikely. That is why they are calling on the SECO’s labour conflict conciliation service.

About Swissinfo

SWI swissinfo.ch – the international service of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Since 1999, swissinfo.ch has fulfilled the federal government’s mandate to distribute information about Switzerland internationally, supplementing the online offerings of the radio and television stations of the SBC. Today, the international service is directed above all at an international audience interested in Switzerland, as well as at Swiss citizens living abroad.

My articlesMy siteAbout meMy books
Follow on:TwitterFacebookGoogle +