BAKNews Channel, an online news engineering company is facing accusation of labour abuse, according to contract document and complaint filed by a wannabe worker.
The online news company is accused of requesting journalists to write, edit up to fifty (50) news stories a day for a paltry Three Hundred Cedis monthly salary (GHC300).
According Vida Essel-Lamptey, a journalist with GhanaPlus.com, she was told by management of baknewschannel.com to write and edit fifty (50) short stories daily for 30 days and take home GHC300 every month for one year.
‘And this is what I got, GHC300 for 50 stories a day. Is that what people have to endure? chai, injustice of the highest order’. She wrote on her facebook timeline.
‘You are expected to edit or write a minimum of fifty (50) short stories a day for thirty days for BAKNews Channel following the criteria outlined in your training during the performance review process.
You will be paid an amount of GHC300 for editing/writing fifty (50) short stories a day for thirty days.’ The contractual agreement between BAKNews Channel and Vida read.
Narrating her experience, she said, she was inspired to hunt for extra online job beside her role at GhanaPlus.com, and as a nursing mother to keep her away from full time journalism by means of keep body and soul together.
‘I realize one of the things that was keeping me from going back to full time journalism was my kids. Am so afraid to leave them alone. The truth is I don’t know who will take care of them while am away and most especially, on vacations. My mum moved back home about a year ago.
So I decided to add extra job to what I have at GhanaPlus.com since I have some time at hand. And the best option was online again’
And this is supposed to be a par- time job. Even the state media houses and the best private ones we know pays well don’t ask for 50 stories a day’. She wrote.
Unhappy with the terms of the contract, she retorted; ‘That is Impossible even if you paying GHC5,000. …Perhaps you may want to take a second look at your contract. I doubt if you will get anyone to work with, with that. This is cheating to the highest order. Have a nice day’.
She said this response attracted her immediate deletion from a WhatsApp platform created for the workers.
Per the details of the contract document sighted, baknewschannel.com was going to be paying her GHS10 a day for writing and editing 50 short stories.
For the management of BAKNews Channel, where she fails to meet the minimum of fifty short stories a day for thirty days requirement, the total number of stories she published for a month will be calculated over the required minimum expectation and she will be paid such an amount accordingly.
Almost half of Ghanaian youths are trapped in labour exploitation, sex for jobs driving by high unemployment, and economic issues
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