Citing a "continued deterioration" of the economy, The Honolulu Advertiser yesterday announced a third round of staff reductions, with 41 employees accepting voluntary buyouts and another 10 being laid off.

The 10 positions that were eliminated included six full-time and four part-time employees across all departments. The reductions were part of a 10 percent workforce reduction throughout Gannett Co., the parent company of The Advertiser.

In October, The Advertiser announced a new round of voluntary buyouts as part of a plan to cut expenses by $5 million to $10 million a year. Yesterday, the company said that 41 employees had accepted the "voluntary separation" buyouts, which included wage and medical benefits based on years of service.

Advertiser publisher Lee Webber said the staff reduction was necessary because of the "continued deterioration in local, national and world economic conditions."

"As 2008 draws to a close and we head into 2009 with our eye focused firmly on the future, we continue to face many challenges as we navigate through these increasingly difficult economic times," Webber said in an e-mail to his staff. "As I have said before, we have a great team here at The Advertiser. I am confident we will all continue to work together, changing when, where and as we must to ensure our future."

Wayne Cahill, administrative officer of the Hawaii Newspaper Guild, which represents about 325 of The Advertiser's employees, yesterday afternoon said he had not been officially notified of the layoffs.

"The company wants our cooperation, yet they're not willing to share what their plans are," Cahill said. "The question that our members keep asking is, 'How deep are the cuts going to go and where are the layoffs going to come from?' But I'm not able to answer the questions and that's outrageous."

In June 2007, The Advertiser offered early-retirement packages to 32 employees and this past July the company laid off 54 workers. A second round of layoffs affecting 27 workers was announced in August.

The moves come as other newspapers nationally have reduced staff to cope with a weakening economy, falling sales and a loss of advertising to the Internet.