Kenya-based Data Firm Ordered to Pay Fired Facebook Moderators

Data annotation firm Sama has been ordered to pay axed Facebook moderators in Kenya their April salaries, after the moderators moved to court seeking an emergency order.

Sama has been ordered to continue paying Facebook content moderators pending the determination of an unlawful termination suit filed by 184 moderators.

The Employment and Labour Relations Court directed Sama “to continue paying the petitioners being Facebook moderators…and within the terms of the orders given by court.”

The moderators, who have also sued Facebook owner Meta, told the court Sama’s failure to pay their April salaries had left them unable to cover rent and other living expenses. Sama announced the termination of its partnership with Meta in January.

The court issued temporary orders on March 21 stopping Sama from effecting any form of redundancy, and Meta from replacing Sama content moderators with Majorel, another data annotation firm. Majorel was also directed to refrain from blacklisting ex-Sama moderators, with recruiters allegedly having informed ex-Sama moderators that they were under instruction not to hire ex-Sama staff.

READ>Ruto’s Multi-Billion Helicopter Business

Sama sent the moderators on compulsory leave in April stating that it had no work to give after its contract with Meta had expired.

The moderators filed the suit claiming that Sama failed to issue redundancy notices, as required by Kenyan law, that the moderators were not issued with a 30-day termination notice, and that their terminal dues were tied to the signing of non-disclosure documents, among other allegations on violations of rights. Sama maintains that it complied with Kenyan law in the process.

NEXT>Zimele: David Ndii’s Multi-Million Wealth Management Business

.