Resolution achieved: X Settles with former African Headquarters Staff
Now known as X, Twitter, has resolved the long-standing issue with its laid-off African headquarters staff over a after their termination, as confirmed by the agency representing them. The employees, based in Ghana’s capital, Accra, were dismissed in November 2022, prompting them to consider legal action against X for allegedly failing to fulfill promised redundancy payments.
Elon Musk, who assumed control of the company in 2022, initiated a substantial global downsizing, resulting in the termination of over 6,000 employees. X, however, has not provided any comments on the matter.
The African staff, numbering less than 20, had recently relocated to X’s new office in Accra after about eight months of remote work during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The legal representation agency, Seven Seven, declared success in securing a redundancy settlement and repatriation expenses for the affected foreign staff, without specifying the exact amount of the settlement.
Carla Olympio from Agency Seven Seven conveyed the satisfaction of the staff, stating, «They are very pleased to finally be able to get their due, put this behind them and look to the future».
The employees had faced challenges following their termination, especially those who had relocated from neighboring countries like Nigeria, finding themselves stranded in Ghana with their families.
In response to Musk’s massive staff reduction, which aimed to address the company’s financial losses, laid-off employees globally were reported to receive three months’ severance pay.
However, the African staff asserted that they did not receive this compensation. X had initially faced a lawsuit from ex-employees in a California court last year, accusing the company of refusing to pay at least $500 million in promised severance packages.
The negotiations with the laid-off African staff reportedly began after the BBC covered the story.
Source: bbc.com
