The social media behemoth fired employees from Twitter Africa earlier this month, and their attorney has revealed that the corporation has contacted them after they threatened to sue for discrimination.
A CNN Africa reporter called Larry Madowo received confirmation from the unnamed lawyer that the business had “finally agreed to talk with the laid-off Africa staff.”
In a tweet on November 22, Madowo, who has been closely following the topic, repeated that the laid-off employees “weren’t offered severance until CNN highlighted” their predicament and that they “weren’t allowed to discuss their separation conditions until” CNN article was aired.
Africa office closed down four days after opening
The Africa office was closed four days after employees who had over the last year been working remotely converged at the Africa Headquarters located in Ghana.
They initiated legal action against the new owner of the platform, Elon Musk, over discrimination and the imbalance in the severance pay they were offered compared to others who were laid off in the United States and Europe upon his takeover.
Madowo revealed the contents of their termination emails in his earlier reports, which read in part: “The company is reorganizing its operations as a result of a need to reduce costs. It is with regret that we’re writing to inform you that your employment is terminating as a result of this exercise.
“Your last day of employment will be 4th December 2022. You will be placed on garden leave until your termination date,” the November 4 letter read.
What Madowo said about threat to sue:
The staff hired a lawyer who was on the verge of suing the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, over this matter. They also reported Twitter to the Chief Labour Officer in Ghana over breaches in the way their appointments were terminated.
“It is clear that Twitter, under Elon Musk, is either deliberately or recklessly flouting the laws of Ghana, is operating in bad faith and in a manner that seeks to silence and intimidate former employees into accepting any terms unilaterally thrown at them.
“Without pressure from higher authorities, they are clearly not willing to provide a fair or just package in order to minimize the hardship of this takeover and the resulting loss of jobs on their workforce in Africa.”