By William Madouk
The management of The City Review and Al-Hagiga newspapers have terminated the contracts of eight journalists citing redundancy as the reason for their dismissal.
However, the affected journalists refused to sign the termination letters.
“We write to formally notify you that, regrettably, your position has been made redundant and your employment with the company will be terminated effective September 3, 2024,” read a termination letter seen by this outlet.
“We understand that this news is difficult, and we want to assure you that this decision was not made lightly,” it added.
The management said it would pay the suspended journalists their salary up to September 3, 2024. This includes the accumulated leave balance, one month’s pay in lieu of notice, gratuity, National Social Insurance Fund (NSIF), and any other earnings as of September 3.
Reacting to the issue, one of the suspended journalists told this outlet that they have refused to sign the termination letter until they seek legal advice regarding the unfortunate end of the contract.
“Just this afternoon (Wednesday), the management of Rak Media issued termination letters to 8 journalists who were previously suspended, citing ‘redundancy,’” one of the journalists said.
“However, we (journalists) declined to sign the termination letter as we seek legal advice,” the journalist added.
The controversy erupted when journalists at both newspapers went on a go-slow on July 24 in protest of ongoing pay disputes.
The move came after prolonged salary delays and stark pay disparities between expatriate staff, who earn around $2,500 monthly plus benefits, and national journalists, whose highest salary is less than $100 a month.
The issue has been exacerbated by the depreciation of the South Sudan Pound (SSP), further diminishing their wages.