La Presse threatens to stop publishing Dec. 1 unless it gets major concessions

Montreal's largest broadsheet newspaper, La Presse, has told its staff they have until December 1 to allow for major cost cutting or the paper will close. Among the concessions the company is demanding is the end of a four-day work week and the cutting of up to 100 jobs.

La Presse is the flagship newspaper of Gesca Ltee, a wholly owned division of Power Corp. The last collective agreement at the paper -- which employs 700 people across 8 different unions -- expired Dec. 31. 240 editorial staff belong to the Syndicat des travailleurs de l'information de La Presse (STIP), according to a story on CBC.ca.

Under its current business model, La Presse can't afford to maintain its day-to-day activities, said Caroline Jamet, vice-president of communications for the newspaper.

Union spokesman Yvan Berthelot said:

"We are analysing management's demands, and employees are open to concessions. The more transparent management is, the more we'll understand the company's real [financial] situation, which we don't know right now."

In June, LaPresse ceased publishing on Sundays to reduce production costs.

La Presse story en Francais