Nairobi, Kenya.
A court in in Kenyan court has ordered the suspension of the mass sacking of content moderators for Facebook’s parent company Meta. A total of 184 moderators employed in Nairobi by Sama, a sub-contractor for Meta, filed a lawsuit at the Labor Court in Nairobi in March, seeking to block their dismissal which they termed as unlawful.
In delivered on Friday 02nd June, labor court judge Justice Byram Ongaya issued an order against Meta and Sama restraining them from terminating the contracts of the employees pending the determination of the lawsuit challenging the legality of the dismissal.
Justice Byram Onyango further restrained barred Facebook’s new outsourcing firm, Luxembourg-headquartered Majorel, from blacklisting the moderators from applying for the same roles. The judge also wants Meta to provide proper medical, psychiatric and psychological care for the petitioners and other Facebook content moderators.
The court ruling comes in the wake of increased scrutiny on Meta and other tech companies regarding the working conditions and mental health support provided to content moderators. Content moderation involves exposure to hateful and disturbing posts, often for extended periods, which can take a toll on the moderators’ mental health. Meta is also facing two other legal cases in Kenya, including one related to poor working conditions and a lack of mental health support.
