PHOTO CAPTION: Orlando Lyomu, CEO Standard Group
Members of the informal workforce at Standard Group Centre along Mombasa Road are crying out for justice after going nearly two months without remuneration for their hard labour.
Writing to this blog on Sunday, October 2, 2022, an insider who sought anonymity disclosed that it is now more than seven (7) weeks since casual labourers saw their last paycheck.
The source further revealed that the struggling media company has failed to honour the government’s directive of a 12% increase in minimum monthly wage and only offers a Sh653 daily stipend.
“Hello, Nyakundi.
I work as a casual labourer at the Standard Media Group, Mombasa Road.
Our mode of payment is that you work for one week and get paid in the following week, probably on Monday or Tuesday.
But surprisingly, we are in our 7th week now without any payment.
We have to pay rent, food, and transport.
Our families also depend on us.
Even the president signed the bill for casuals to be paid well, but standard pays their casuals Sh653 only.
Kindly highlight this and hide my identity, please,” the source writes.
This news comes just days after Standard Media Group declared its intention to declare redundancy across various departments.
The Moi family-linked media house gave reasons for the move, among them blaming the ‘negative of the COVID-19 pandemic’ and the ‘shifting trends occasioned by technological changes in the digital environment’.
Nearly a year ago, the media house launched a new, ultramodern converged newsroom, breaking away from the pack and into the digital future.
Insiders blame the collapse of the company on bad management, nepotism, and lack of meritocracy in promotions.
Word on the ground is that staff who include editors, accountants, managers and reporters are yet to be paid August dues, even as it emerges that correspondents have not been paid for four months now.
Amidst all these, CEO Lyomu has reportedly been globe-trotting.
Circulating reports suggest that in the last three months, he has been to Seychelles, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
He returned from a trip to the Netherlands last week and is expected to be off to China this week.
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