Meta and Sama face legal action in Kenya for alleged poor work conditions on Employees

In a country where man power is great, there is an assumption labour or working condition can or are poor,  with this ideology it’s probably one of the reasons why Meta and Sama are in trouble.

Meta and Sama, its main subcontractor for content moderation in Africa, are facing a lawsuit in Kenya over alleged unsafe and unfair working conditions, if they fail to meet 12 demands on workplace conditions brought before them.

Nzili and Sumbi Advocates, the law firm representing Daniel Motaung, a former Sama employee that was laid-off for organizing a strike in 2019 over poor working conditions and pay, in a demand letter seen by TechCrunch, accused the subcontractor of violating various rights, including that of health and privacy of Kenyan and international staff.

Motaung was allegedly laid-off for organizing the strike and trying to get Sama employees unionized. The law firm has given Meta and Sama 21 days (starting Tuesday March 29) to respond to the demands or face a lawsuit.

In the demand letter, the law firm asked Meta and Sama to adhere to the country’s labor, privacy and health laws, recruit qualified and experienced health professionals, and provide the moderators with adequate mental health insurance and better compensation.

“Facebook subcontracts most of this work to companies like Sama – a practice that keeps Facebook’s profit margins high but at the cost of thousands of moderators’ health – and the safety of Facebook worldwide. Sama moderators report ongoing violations, including conditions which are unsafe, degrading, and pose a risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” Motuang’s lawyers said.