Danish public broadcaster Danmarks Radio (DR) yesterday completed the round of layoffs that has been awaited with trepidation for quite some time. The result is that 67 employees have been laid off, while 37 employees have accepted severance packages.
“This is a sad day for DR. We have to take leave of a large number of our very talented employees. But we are in a situation where we have to face a new economic framework for the coming four years - and this situation was , unfortunately, unavoidable,” said DR Director General Kenneth Plummer.
The round of layoffs is in part prompted by the media agreement passed in Parliament this spring, and the pink slips have been handed out across all sections of DR. Several DR shows will be affected by the cost-cutting measures, and some will close altogether.
“Such a day is never pleasant. There is no good way of doing this. But we have done everything in our power to ensure that the whole process is as dignified and fair for our employees as possible,” said Kenneth Plummer.
Employees of DR News held a one hour twenty minutes workplace meeting, but decided to return to their work instead of going home for the day. The employees plan to release a statement at a later point in time.
(Source: Danmarks Radio)
