· Solidarity wants Media24 to reveal its financial plans and senior managers' salaries to justify a restructuring that could affect up to 126 employees..
· Media24 says it is restructuring to build a smaller, sustainable newsroom and insists no final decisions have been made.
Media24 is facing growing pressure over plans that could cost up to 126 employees their jobs.
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Trade union Solidarity says the company should open its books and reveal how much its top bosses and editors earn before workers are shown the door.
The union says management, not journalists, photographers and other newsroom staff, should answer for the company's problems.
Last week, Media24 announced it had started a Section 189A consultation process to restructure parts of its editorial business as it moves towards a smaller, centralised newsroom.
The company says the changes are needed to build a sustainable business as the media industry battles falling print income and changing reader habits.
The proposed restructuring affects some of Media24's biggest brands, including Huisgenoot, Sarie, Netwerk24, News24, YOU and Weg!/GO!.
But Solidarity says workers are paying for mistakes made at the top.
The union wants Media24 to disclose its strategic plans, financial records and the remuneration packages of senior managers and editors.
It says the information is needed to determine whether retrenchments are really necessary.
Deputy general secretary Helgard Cronjé said this is the fourth restructuring process at Media24 in just three years.
He said repeated job cuts show previous plans failed to solve the company's problems.
"Once again, Media24 wants to make skilled journalists, photographers, layout artists and other staff pay the price for management errors," said Cronjé.
He argued that poor editorial decisions by management drove readers and subscribers away.
"Those editorial decisions do not lie with the staff who are now under fire," he said.
He added that cutting jobs would not restore the credibility some publications had lost.
Labour relations organiser Johan Roos said the possible loss of experienced journalists and editorial staff was deeply worrying.
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He said the union would investigate every reasonable alternative to avoid or reduce retrenchments.
Solidarity said it had already begun consultations with Media24 and would closely examine the company's reasons for the proposed changes.
The South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef) has also raised concerns.
The organisation said it understands the financial pressure facing media companies but warned that newsroom restructuring often leads to fewer journalists, heavier workloads and weaker reporting.
Sanef said Media24 should explain exactly why the restructuring is needed, how many employees could be affected and how it plans to protect quality journalism.
The forum said South Africa has already lost several newspaper titles in recent years, including City Press, leaving fewer voices in the country's media landscape.
Media24 said the proposed changes are aimed at streamlining editorial operations and securing the long term future of its media division.
The company stressed that the consultation process is still under way and no final decisions have been made.
