This archive report was first published on 10 June 2020.
On June 10, 2020, the Employment and Labour Relations Court dealt a significant blow to Mediamax management by thwarting the company's attempts to enforce pay cuts.
The court ruled that the company must honour existing contracts, even as it plans to retrench more staffers in the coming days.
Mediamax was further ordered to pay the staffers their accrued April and May salaries in full.
According to the court, the contract of service between the parties is preserved without pay cuts, and the law dictates when employees should be paid.
The ruling came after 164 Mediamax staffers, including K24 TV presenter Eric Njoka and Milele FM presenter Felix Odiwour alias Jalang'o, moved to court protesting the pay cut and obtained an injunction stopping the proposed cuts pending the hearing and determination of the matter.
Mediamax had proposed a 50% cut for high earners and a 20%-30% cut for regular earners in a letter to staff signed by Acting Chief Executive Ken Ngaruiya.
The company cited difficulties in its business wing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected businesses worldwide.
Mediamax has since faced a series of challenges, including the resignations of its senior-most editor and K24's most popular presenter, Betty Kyalo.
