Ouest-France, the leading national newspaper in France based in the region of Ille-et-Vilaine, is planning to eliminate 156 jobs as part of a cost-cutting strategy aimed at improving its financial stability by 2028. According to a union source cited by AFP, 116 of these positions will be in editorial departments. The newspaper describes these reductions as natural attrition, particularly related to fixed-term contracts and retirees whose positions are not being refilled. The plan was presented to employee representatives during a meeting of the social and economic committee (CSE) on September 17, with a consultation period extending until November 17. However, the views of these representatives are not binding on management. The cost-cutting initiative, which marks the first time journalists will be affected by such measures, was announced by the newspaper’s management in the fall of 2025, though specific job cuts were not yet quantified at the time of the report. Ouest-France reported a net loss of 8.9 million euros in 2025 and has been operating at a deficit for five consecutive years. Despite selling nearly 600,000 copies per day on average last year—including digital sales—more than Le Monde or Le Figaro, the newspaper is not immune to the broader decline in print journalism. It faces a 5% to 6% annual drop in print sales that has not been offset by growth in digital subscriptions. To improve its financial situation, Ouest-France plans to reduce salaries by about 10% to cut annual costs by 15 million euros. The company’s initiative, called Efficience 2, also includes reorganizing operations and incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) to improve efficiency. Unions have criticized the plan, calling it "unacceptable." The intersyndical group CFDT, CGT, FO, and SNJ issued a leaflet urging employees to attend general assemblies. They are particularly concerned about the potential loss of more than 20% of editorial secretaries and over a third of editorial assistants, fearing a significant decline in working conditions. Vanessa Ripoche, a journalist and SNJ union delegate at Ouest-France, told AFP that employees are "quite shocked," noting that this is the first time such a plan has been implemented at the newspaper. The management has pledged to do everything possible to "protect permanent jobs" and avoid social plans similar to those announced by other media outlets such as Centre France (La Montagne) or Prisma (Geo, Capital). When contacted by AFP, the management declined to comment further, stating that they would reserve their remarks for internal discussions.