This archive report was first published on 22 June 2020.
On June 22, 2020, the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) expressed its deep regret over the unfair treatment of Mediamax employees, who were sacked en masse by the company's Acting Chief Executive Officer, Ken Ngaruya.
According to KUJ, the employees were terminated through SMS, with some being asked to collect their termination letters at a hotel in Nairobi. This move was deemed a clear contravention of the law and unfair best practices, as it failed to provide the necessary consultation and engagement with the affected employees.
Section 40 of the Employment Act allows employers to terminate contracts on account of redundancy, but the process must be followed to ensure employees are treated justly. In this case, the employees were subjected to a unilateral and unfair process, which has left them without pay for over two months.
As a result, the employees and their families have been exposed to untold suffering, financial insecurity, and psychological distress. KUJ has condemned this illegal and unfair labour practice, which was outlawed by the Constitution of Kenya in 2010.
Mediamax has taken advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to subject its employees to unfair labour practices, including unilateral pay cuts, withholding salaries, and now unfair termination of contracts disguised as redundancy.
While KUJ condemns these actions, it demands that the company puts the exercise on hold to pave the way for consultations to comply with the law. Failure to adhere to this will result in the company facing a legal battle, with the Human Resource Director and Mr. Ngaruya being held personally responsible for violating a court order and subjecting employees to slavery.
