Tamedia staff protest planned job cuts in Zurich

More than 400 journalists and readers demonstrated in Zurich against planned job cuts at media company Tamedia, according to its editorial teams. SRF reported that protesters called for an immediate halt to dismissals after the company announced plans to cut 34 full-time positions two weeks ago, citing falling revenue and artificial intelligence.

The demonstration took place outside Tamedia’s headquarters on Werdstrasse. Protesters held signs reading “Journalism instead of AI” and criticised management, accusing it of repeatedly making staff bear the consequences of wrong decisions and failed strategies. They said newsroom resources were already stretched and called for savings elsewhere.

Zurich Mayor Raphael Golta, of the Social Democratic Party, addressed the crowd. He said media were vital to society, democracy and culture, and warned that AI agents were replacing journalism. “That must not happen. We have to stand up against it,” he said, adding that there could eventually be too few people left to do reporting and research.

Tamedia spokesperson Edi Estermann described the period as difficult and said the challenge was to keep journalism alive by using AI without allowing it to destroy the profession.

Stephanie Vonarburg of the Syndicom trade union called for “dialogue on equal terms and genuine negotiations with the unions.”