MediaMax Salaries: K24 television anchors Betty Kyalo and radio comedian Jalang’o are part of the 36 employees at MediaMax who have filed a court petition to stop their employer from slashing their salaries. The decision to go to court followed a decision by the management of MediaMax that would have cut their salaries by up to fifty per cent.

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The petition has been filed at the Employment and Labour Relations Court. Other popular media figures in the list of 36 petitioners are Isabella Kituri and Eric Njoka.

Betty Kyalo and Jalang’o who are reported to earn six figure salaries at MediaMax are among employees at MediaMax who will take pay cuts.

“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,” Mediamax acting Chief Executive Officer Ken Ngaruiya told employees in a circular dated April 17. “Amongst the proposed measures that will directly apply to employees will be a reduction of between 20 per cent and 50 per cent on Gross Monthly Pay based on job levels effective April 2020.”

MediaMax attributed the looming pay cuts to the effects of the coronavirus scourge. “Our clients have been adversely affected and within a short span of time have had to make difficult decisions regarding their employees and their businesses including cancellation of their communication and advertising plans,” Mr. Ngaruiya said.

Employees at the Standard Media Group which has also issued letters reducing salaries is also facing protests from its journalists. Already, journalists under the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) have filed a court case against the intended reduction. Journalists who were hired directly by the media house and who are not affiliated to the union are reportedly facing a sign or get sacked situation.

In Kenya, it is only the Nation Media Group that has opted not to subject its employees to salary reductions.