List of Media24 employees who could lose their jobs grows

The list of jobs affected by Media24’s latest restructuring process is growing longer, with another 19 positions from the business news editorial team now also coming under fire.

Large-scale layoffs at this media company threaten to cut editorial staff and other staff from, among others, Netwerk24, News24, Sarie, Huisgenoot and Go! magazine to the bone in the umpteenth layoff process at Media24 in the past few years.

Media24’s original layoff notices mentioned 25 sports editorial jobs and 101 lifestyle editorial jobs, but the numbers of the business news editorial team were missing from these original notices to the staff.

According to Johan Roos, labour relations specialist at Solidarity, the addition of these 19 positions in the business news editorial team raises the question of what other numbers are also not being fully disclosed.

“Based on the feedback we receive from members and non-members at Media24, we have begun to realise that many more staff are affected by these proposed retrenchments than originally reported.

“This lack of transparency is concerning and creates the impression that the employer is still not playing fair with unions, the public and its own employees,” says Roos.

Meanwhile, Solidarity has written to Media24 calling for greater transparency and informed the company of its request for access to strategic and financial planning, as well as the remuneration packages of senior staff and editors.

This aims to determine whether other solutions, rather than another round of retrenchments, have been thoroughly considered.

There is a strong suspicion within Solidarity that poor management decisions, rather than employees, should be brought under scrutiny, as these are likely the primary reason why Media24 is finding it increasingly difficult to stay afloat.