Belfast Telegraph publisher Mediahuis Ireland is planning more job cuts across across its Irish operations.
The Antwerp-headquartered company confirmed it has launched a voluntary redundancy programme - the second in less than a year - in a move to shrink its workforce by around 10 per cent.
It wants to trim around 55 jobs from its 500-plus payroll across the Irish Independent, Sunday Independent, Sunday World, Sunday Life, Belfast Telegraph and regional papers like The Kerryman and Wexford People.
In a statement Mediahuis said the redundancy programme, which will be split 50/50 across editorial and non-editorial roles, comes as it tries to manage its traditional cost base and adapt to new digital revenue streams.
It has said that its two traditional revenue streams of print sales and advertising, while still its most important, are under pressure and being replaced by revenues from digital subscribers and digital advertising “at a slower pace”.
The terms of the voluntary redundancy programme include two weeks’ pay for each year of service on top of statutory redundancy.
The company had turned to its workforce last March to seek volunteers for redundancy.
Mediahuis Ireland says it is continuing to invest in digital, seeing growth in podcasting and local news in particular, but that it needs to manage its “traditional cost base”.
It said savings from the new voluntary redundancy programme would allow it to invest in new products, target new audiences and make its brands “more resilient and more customer-oriented” for readers and advertisers.
