News anchor Betty Kyalo and a host of other journalists moved to court to sue Mediamax Networks Limited due to the salary cuts announced by the media house.
An injunction was given by the court on Thursday, April 23, to bar the media house from slashing the salaries of journalists, pending hearing and determination of the case.
Mediamax had announced on Friday, April 17 a pay cut of between 20% and 50% of all its staff citing disruptive effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Court papers seen by Kenyans.co.ke read in part, "Pending the hearing interpretation and determination of this application, the court does issue an interim preservatory order to stop the respondent from slashing the salary, victimizing, harassing or coercing, intimidating or otherwise dismissing or terminating any of the staff."
The court also moved to restrict Mediamax from terminating contracts or forcing their workers to take a pay cut unless it can prove inability to pay them.
The media house and the employees were urged to exhaust all avenues, negotiations and most importantly heed the government's plea not to victimize and take undue advantage of Covid-19 against the employees and the input of other stakeholders.
Mediamax was also warned that failure to comply with the served orders, will result in the company facing legal action.
The court cited that employees were not involved in the decision of salary reductions but a conclusive directive for consent followed by telephones to some employees coercing and intimidating them to comply or termination process would ensure.
The court noted this amounted to self-incrimination from their employment unlawfully and contrary to the employee's terms and conditions of service, Employment Act of 2007 and the Constitution of Kenya, 2010.
A total of 36 staff including Betty Kyalo and Shon Osimbo from the media house sued on their behalf and on behalf of 164 Mediamax staff and others.
This comes after Mediamax employees on Tuesday, April 21 went on a go-slow, lamenting that the letters did not document the period of time within which, they would get their salaries slashed.
