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The company's director has welcomed the more and says it will help to have a constructive dialogue.

Zilvinas Pekarskas, head of the new trade union, says it was established in response to "the company director's unwillingness to listen to employees' opinion on planned radical changes to the structure of the editorial office".

"We are concerned there's a risk to the editorial office's independence, and we will also defend 15min's values," Pekarskas said in a Facebook comment.

In his words, 47 creative workers have joint the trade union, making almost 40 percent of the company's all employees.

Members of the trade union also support journalists Dovydas Pancerovas and Birute Davidonyte who left the company in protest of the director's behavior, Pekarskas said.

"Part of professional journalists have already expressed their position that they would also be forced to leave if ill-considered decisions were implemented," Pekarskas said. "We plan to take all legal measures to defend the press freedom and independence of journalists and other creative workers working for 15min, including conversations with the company's board we have contacted already."

Ramunas Saucikovas, managing director of 15min, hopes the trade union will foster dialogue and help implement changes. "I view the trade union's establishment as a good thing as I believe that it will represent the company's all employees and will help foster a constructive internal dialogue," Saucikovas told BNS.

Today's media is constantly facing changes and their implementation will take workers' opinion into account, he said. "Any modern media outlet is facing constant changes and a trade union can play an important role in their successful implementation. 15min has the reputation of an independent media outlet. We respect workers' rights and take their opinion into account. We will continue to base our joint work with the trade union on these values," Saucikovas said.

15min is part of the Postimees Grupp media group whose sole shareholder is Estonian investment company UP Invest. Estonian businessman Margus Linnamae is a majority shareholder of UP Invest.