Questions over transparency at Media24 are mounting as the company’s latest restructuring process expands to include 19 other positions in its business news editorial team.

The additional positions were not included in the initial figures communicated to employees, raising concerns from trade union Solidarity about whether the full scale of the proposed retrenchments has been disclosed.

Media24’s original notices identified 25 sports editorial positions and 101 lifestyle editorial positions as being at risk. The 19 positions in the business news editorial team were only identified later by the Naspers subsidiary.

Johan Roos, a labour relations specialist at Solidarity, said in a statement released on Friday that the development raised questions about whether there were other affected positions that had not yet been disclosed.

“Based on the feedback we receive from members and non-members at Media24, we have begun to realise that many more staff are affected by these proposed retrenchments than originally reported,” Roos said.

He accused the company of failing to provide sufficient transparency during the restructuring process, saying this was creating concern among employees and unions.

“This lack of transparency is concerning and creates the impression that the employer is still not playing fair with unions, the public and its own employees,” he said.

Solidarity has since written to Media24 demanding greater transparency and requesting access to information on the company’s strategic and financial planning.

The union is also seeking information about the remuneration packages of senior staff and editors as it attempts to establish whether alternatives to retrenchments were properly considered.

The request comes as Media24 faces another round of proposed job cuts affecting staff across publications including Netwerk24, News24, Sarie, Huisgenoot and Go! magazine.

Solidarity says the widening list of affected positions raises broader questions about the company’s decision-making and financial management.

Roos said the union suspected that management decisions, rather than employees, should face greater scrutiny for Media24’s financial difficulties.

“There is a strong suspicion within Solidarity that poor management decisions, rather than employees, should be brought under scrutiny,” he said.

The latest developments have intensified concerns among affected employees over the scale of the restructuring and whether they are being given a complete picture of the jobs potentially at risk.