Standard Media Group has been given seven days by the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) to pay their journalists, some of whom had been unpaid for up to ten months.
KUJ claims that repeated consultative meetings with the media house have yielded no results, with Standard Group failing to follow through on any of the commitments made during the discussions.
Journalists at the Mombasa Road-based media house have purportedly organized a peaceful demonstration.
This prompted Standard Group to issue a statement on Thursday evening explaining why they have not been able to settle salaries on time.
According to KUJ, there have been multiple reports that media companies are not paying their employees, but Standard Group is the only one that has actually filed a complaint.
“We cannot be championing and calling out for the rights of journalists when employers are the ones who are violating the rights of the journalists, who will respect journalists if employers do not? We will have a solidarity strike in support and solidarity with our colleagues at Standard Group," says Eric Oduor, the Secretary-General, the Kenya Union of Journalists.
On Thursday, Standard Group, which owns KTN Home, KTN News, Radio Maisha, Vybez Radio, Spice FM, and The Standard Newspaper issued a statement updating on its struggling financial status.
In the statement, the media house noted that their financial crisis is majorly due to outstanding debts owed to the company which have in turn affected its operational timelines including payment of staff salaries.
"The company is taking various initiatives, including a major cost reduction and efficiency enhancement drive, as well as restructuring of the business, to conform to current economic realities," the statement reads in part.
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