The Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) has issued demands to the Standard Group (SG) board of directors over the plight of its employees.
In a statement on June 30, KUJ stated that it holds SG fully accountable for the suffering of its staff and that it would not allow the injustices towards the employees to continue.
The Journalists union highlighted that Standard Group owes its staff six months of unpaid salaries.
“The @KUJ_Kenya holds the @StandardGroupLc Board of Directors fully accountable for the suffering of its staff. Allowing these injustices to continue at Kenya’s oldest media house will not be tolerated. Take action! Enough is Enough!” the statement read.
Consequently, KUJ demanded that SG define a clear and acceptable payment plan to settle this debt failure to which, the employees will withdraw their labor.
“Standard Group owes staff six months of unpaid salaries. A clear and acceptable payment plan is required to settle this debt. Staff will withdraw their labor if this is not addressed,” KUJ said.
Also Read: Radio Maisha Goes Off Air Nairobi; Here is Why
KUJ Raises Issues More Demands to Standard Group
Under the hashtag pay journalists, the union expressed their concerns over the staff savings in the company’s Sacco noting that they were a risk of losing them due to the non-payment.
In addition, KUJ pointed out Standard Group’s adamance to a directive from the Sacco Societies Regulatory Authority (Sasra) to prioritize the payment.
“Staff savings in the Standard Group Sacco are at risk due to the company’s non-payment. The company has disregarded a directive from the Sacco Societies Regulatory Authority (Sasra) to prioritize this issue,” the statement read.
The Union demanded a concrete plan to restore the Sacco within 14 days, noting that if not addressed, employees will strike and pursue legal action to recover their funds.
Additionally, KUJ highlighted that the SG employees were experiencing financial hardships due to unpaid salaries and were further burdened by restrictions on their medical claims.
Consequently, the union termed the situation as unacceptable and demanded the immediate reinstatement of the full medical scheme for all employees.
In response to recent developments, the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) has voiced strong opposition to certain actions taken by the Standard Group PLC management including attempts to intimidate the staff.
“KUJ condemns @StandardGroupLc‘s attempt to intimidate staff by collecting biometric data to enforce a new reporting time policy. This action is insensitive, considering staff are struggling to afford basic necessities, including transportation to work,” KUJ said.
Also Read: Citizen TV Raids Standard Group, Poaches 4 Journalists [EXCLUSIVE]
Radio Maisha Journalists Threaten to Down Tools
KUJ statement comes after the Standard Group radio department threatened to go off air over unpaid salaries starting July 3.
According to reports, his decision was reached at during a meeting held on Friday, June 28, attended by staff from Radio Maisha, Spice FM, Berur FM, and Vybez Radio.
In a letter addressed to the management of Standard Media Group PLC, the radio team complained that they had not been paid salary for the period between June to August 2023 and February to June 2024.
Additionally, the journalists expressed their frustration over inconsistent payments, despite numerous promises from the employer to resolve the issue.
“The matter of unpaid regular salary and mounting arrears as you’re aware is one of urgency. As a department – we need to have this matter addressed,” the radio team demanded.
Follow our WhatsApp Channel for real-time news updates!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaB3k54HltYFiQ1f2i2C
