Hundreds of former employees of media giant Standard Group on Tuesday staged demonstrations along the busy Mombasa Road and marched to the company’s headquarters to protest the delayed payment of salaries and benefits.
The disgruntled ex-staff, including journalists, accused the Mombasa Road-based media house of failing to honour financial agreements, claiming they are yet to receive dues owed to them despite years of service.
The media practitioners, who were waving placards, maintained that despite past promises to settle the arrears, the management of one of the oldest media groups is yet to honour the same.
They further argued that the situation has made it difficult for them to afford basic necessities as the economy continues to bite.
They also accused the media outlet of allegedly failing to remit critical deductions from employees' payslips, including contributions to Savings and Credit Cooperative (SACCOS), pension and taxes.
''We have come together to reveal human standing labour and rights violations committed by this company. The allegations highlight a systematic pattern of misconduct,'' read a statement from the former employees.
"These include unpaid salaries, non-remittance of pension deductions, and unpaid redundancy dues. These have impacted the financial wellbeing of former employees and overall livelihoods including those of their dependents," it added.
Some of the ex-staff were retrenched in July last year after the company faced financial hardships brought about by dwindling revenues in the media industry.
Others voluntarily opted to exit the station and are yet to be compensated by the management of the media house.
Reports suggest that in the most recent redundancy exercise, employees were coerced and duped into signing and accepting a one-year payment plan, which never materialised.
In December, the company's former employees staged demonstrations outside the company premises over unpaid arrears, calling on the government and labour unions to intervene and help them get justice.
Marching with whistles and large placards, the journalists blocked the company's gate along Mombasa Road, demanding the immediate disbursement of their money. However, their efforts have, over time, only been met with empty promises.
At the time of publishing this article, the management, under the leadership of Group Chief Executive Officer Marion Gathoga Mwangi, had yet to respond to the plight of the former staff.
