A journalist trade union and the SDSM party responded after reports emerged that Telma TV has fired 12 of its journalists and editors, including well known political and culture reporters.
Telma is a pro-opposition TV station owned by the largest gas station company "Makpetrol" and has recently added a number of journalists from other outlets including a new director and editor in chief.
The firings are mostly concentrated in its older staff, who worked for the station before the new director Atanas Kirovski took over.
The Independent Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers said that they have not been consulted over the Telma's decision, and requested a meeting with the media outlet's management.
According to media reports, Telma management issued a notification to all employees telling them that six political journalists, and other employees are having their positions terminated.
Media reported that these include Emilija Lazarevska, who often publicly feuded with Kirovski, and Panta Dzambazovski.
"SDSM received the report that 12 employees from Telma were declared manpower redundancy by the management. The Telma management, which leads a reputable, relevant and respectable media outlet, should explain its decision in detail, especially given that these are professional journalists who have proven themselves during years of work. We call on the Telma management to reevaluate its decision and to examine other alternatives and to make an appropriate decision that would be in the interest of the journalists and would protect their legal rights and obligations", SDSM writes in its press release.
Telma changed its largely withdrawn reporting style in early 2015, to match the start of the wiretapping affair.
Its parent company "Makpetrol" was involved in allegations of defrauding its small stockholders in 2015, in a scheme in which its management allegedly syphoned much of the profits to a shell company they control.