Content moderators sue Meta for allegedly ‘disrupting unity’ in Kenya | – #Content #moderators #sue #Meta #allegedly #disrupting #unity #Kenya
NAIROBI, 20 March (Reuters) – In Kenya Facebook content moderators social media site parent Meta ( META.O ) and two outsourcing companies are suing for wrongful termination.
43 applicants to form a union Facebook said they had lost their jobs with Sama, a Kenyan-based firm contracted to manage its content. They also say that Facebook were blacklisted from applying for the same roles at another outsourcing firm, Majorel, after switching contractors.
Meta filed an appeal in Kenya last month, saying it could be sued in a separate lawsuit filed by a moderator over poor working conditions, even though it has no official presence in the East African country.
Court their work may affect how Meta works with content moderators globally. USA The company works with thousands of moderators around the world who are tasked with reviewing graphic content posted on its platform.
“This is a union-busting operation masquerading as mass layoffs. You can’t just switch suppliers and tell recruiters not to hire your employees because they’re ‘troublemakers’, meaning they’re brave enough to stand up for themselves. “said Cori Crider of Foxglove, a technology rights group that supports the latest lawsuit.
Meta, Majorel and Sama did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
January 260 content moderators working at Facebook’s Nairobi moderation center were told they would be laid off by outsourcing firm Sama, which has run the office since 2019, Foxglove said.
moderators, court According to the filing, Meta is accused of instructing Majorelle not to hire moderators previously employed by Sama.
“The retrenchment is illegal as no genuine and justifiable reason has been given for the retrenchment,” the moderators said in their petition.
“The moderators were given various and confusing tasks
Explanations of the reduction not added.”
Reporting by Aaron Ross and Ayenat Mercie; Written by Hereward Holland, edited by Ed Osmond
Our standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
2023-03-21 12:55:52
Source – reuters
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