Two Mediamax Bosses Resign In Salary Cut Protests

Two top Mediamax employees have resigned in protest to salary cuts instituted by the media house, where the salaries of top earners were slashed by 50 percent.

Among those who have handed in their resignation letters is the media house’s top-most editor Peter Opondo, in charge of editorial functions of print, broadcast, and digital divisions.

Also, Head of Commercial Caroline Mwangi has resigned and is serving notice in the media house owned by first family.

Print editor-in-chief Eric Obino, TV presenters Betty Kyalo and Anne Kiguta, radio presenter Felix Odiwuor alias Jalang’o, who led a court battle against the media house could also be planning to resign, but this publication could not verify the information.

Last month,  the Employment and Labour Relations court issued orders temporarily stopping Mediamax from forcing or coercing employees to take up to 50 per cent pay cuts.

The company had declared intention to slash employees’ salaries by 20 to 50 per cent citing adverse effects of Covid-19 on its business.

Read: Mediamax To Slash Employees’ Salaries By Up To 50 Percent

The orders issued last month by Justice Bryam Ongaya restrict the Media House from subjecting the employees to pay cuts unless the management proves that they are unable to pay salaries.

Mediamax issued the staff with consent letters on April 21 over the intended salary cuts based on their job group detailing the new gross salary after the deduction.

The employees declined to sign the letters saying the communication lacked crucial details such as the period within which the salary cut would apply.

36 of the employees successfully blocked the cuts after going to court.

The salary cuts were set to start with April salaries, which would have seen most employees caught off-guard.

“We have consulted extensively and held several meetings with the leadership team and the board of directors to find ways and methods to sustain and keep the Company afloat during this pandemic. We have come up with several measures to ensure that we try to sustain and ensure that the business at this stage survives and sustains itself. Amongst the proposed measures that will directly apply to employees will be a reduction of between 20% and 50% on Gross Monthly Pay based on job levels effective April 2020,” added the statement.

Mediamax is the holding company of the People Daily Newspaper, Tv stations (Kameme and K24) Radio stations ( Emoo FM, Milele FM, Kameme FM, Msenangu (formerly Pilipili FM), Mayian FM and Meru FM).

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