Editorial Vicens Vives has informed workers' representatives of plans to initiate a new collective dismissal procedure (ERO), sparking immediate backlash from the CCOO union, which has labelled the move an "incomprehensible decision".
The announcement comes less than three years after a previous ERO was proposed in November 2023, and only months after the historic Catalan publisher was acquired by the European media and education group Sanoma.
CCOO argues that the timing contradicts Sanoma’s public commitment to strengthen Vicens Vives’ position in Spain’s educational market. When the acquisition was completed, Sanoma presented it as a strategic move to grow in the sector.
Union representatives point to Sanoma’s strong financial performance as evidence that job cuts are unjustified. According to Sanoma’s interim report for January–30 September 2026, the group achieved an adjusted operating profit of EUR 190.0 million, up from EUR 172.4 million in the same period in 2025.
The company has also revised its outlook for 2026, now expecting adjusted operating profit to reach between EUR 215 million and EUR 225 million, compared to EUR 188 million in 2025, as confirmed in a CEO review published on sanoma.com.
Defence of Editorial Jobs
CCOO maintains that joining a larger, profitable group should strengthen the Vicens Vives project, not lead to workforce reductions. The union insists that the cost of reorganisation should not fall on employees.
The incorporation into a group of this size should serve to strengthen the Vicens Vives project and not to transfer the cost of reorganization processes onto the workforce.
The union has pledged to defend every job and to demand that all alternatives to dismissals be explored, while ensuring the continuity of the editorial’s educational mission.
Sanoma’s Q3 2026 results highlight strong growth in learning content and digital platform sales, particularly in Poland and Spain, with Vicens Vives contributing to Spain’s net sales growth, according to the Interim Report 1 January–30 September 2026.
Sources: La Ciutat, sanoma.com.
