The Standard Media Group employees under the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) have given a 14-day strike notice to the media house.

The Standard Media Group employees drawn from all departments of the media house have stated that they will be going on strike after going for seven months without salaries.

“For seven months now, staff at the Standard Media Group, the oldest media house in Kenya, have gone through untold suffering due to unpaid salaries despite hard economic times in the countries,” said KUJ Secretary General Eric Oduor.

“The Kenya Union of Journalists therefore is demanding an immediate response to the following issues, failure to which we shall force total shut down of operations of Standard Group Limited.”

The strike notice follows a similar threat by journalists in the media group’s radio department who have threatened to go off air by July 3 unless their June salaries are paid in full and the unpaid arrears are settle in a rate of 30 per cent every month going forward.

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According to Mr. Oduor, the situation at the media house has become so dire that it is now pushing journalists into depression over lack of salaries.

“Staff at the Standard Group have been pushed to depression as they live in a state of uncertainty about the millions of shillings they invested and saved in Standard Sacco. The company has even defied a directive from Sacco’s regulator, Sasra, to give this matter priority in its payment plan,” said Mr. Oduor.

“It has been brought to our attention that the staff, who have since been pushed to the cliff by an unresponsive company, have capped medical claims. This is unheard of, and no one applies to be sick. Therefore, the company cannot purport to regulate sickness.”

The KUJ further condemned a new time policy that is being implemented at the Standard as punitive. “We condemn the Standard Group’s attempt to intimidate staff by collecting biometric data to enforce a new reporting time policy. This action is insensitive, considering that staff are struggling to afford basic necessities including transportation to work,” the KUJ stated.