Workers converge at Chavakali High School in Vihiga County to celebrate International Labour Day. This is the day that workers take stock of the state of labour in the country over the past year. KUJ secretary general highlights challenges Kenyan journalists and media workers face. Leaders and workers reflect on the milestones and turbulence in the industrial relations, with owners of means of production looking for cheap labour. What challenges do Kenyan media workers face? While traditionally, this is the day workers wait with bated breath for the government to announce the minimum wage, which sets the base for salary reviews, journalists and media workers will go home with no hope at all. Deep dive into the Kenyan media industry, which is the fulcrum of the country’s governance architecture, reveals a bleak picture occasioned by cheap labour, poor pay, delayed salaries and free labour. This brings the fundamental question that all stakeholders should be scratching their heads to address. Journalists and media workers are professionals who deserve decent jobs. These are Jobs that have security, guarantee regular pay and social protection. The talk of the town is Artificial Intelligence, a technology that makes work efficient, faster and easier. While it has caused panic and excitement in equal measures among professionals, employers have made it a tool of exploitation, hoping that it will replace human beings to avoid paying salaries, social security, pension and medical cover. However, this is a debate for another day.
Casualisation of labour in the media industry is the biggest threat to media freedom because it subjects journalists and media workers to myriad challenges. Friends and colleagues have wondered if underpaid journalists can remain independent and focused on their job of serving society. This is a subject that media owners should be willing to participate in to calm the turbulence the industry is grappling with. They cannot turn a deaf ear to this debate. They must join; otherwise, the challenges will persist. How will the new minimum wage impact journalists? As the country marks International Labour Day, a journalist and a media worker who has not been paid for months is expected to feed the nation with information on a reviewed minimum wage. This is partly fueling unprofessional conduct among these men and women of the Fourth Estate. The government is expected to announce a new minimum wage when President William Ruto addresses the nation in Chavakali. This news will be relayed by journalists, some of whom have never earned any salary. Such an insensitive attitude among media owners should be a call to action from journalists to join the cause that is championing the welfare of journalists. Not all the apples are rotten. No, some very good employers treasure their employees. They give written contracts, pay regularly, and have enrolled their staff in medical and pension schemes. Journalists chant slogans as they hold cameras during a protest in Nakuru.
What legal protections exist for Kenyan journalists and media workers? Labour laws, Labour Relations Act, Employment Act, Occupational Safety and Health Act and Work Benefit Injury Act provide a legal foundation for workers’ rights and welfare. These laws must be followed to the letter by all employers. Media Owners and investors in the industry are not insulted. The Employment and Labour Relations Court has, for years, punished employers in the media who violate the law. Journalists and media workers should be encouraged to pursue these matters in court to stop the widespread violations going on unabated. Last but not least, this is a call to join a trade union to fight for your rights. The writer is the Secretary General of the Kenya Union of Journalists. Email: oduorerick@gmail.com. Views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of TUKO.co.ke.
