Effective this month, toiling Royal Media Services (RMS) has declared a downward revision of the prevailing salary reduction by 10% for all employees.
“This means that staff currently on a salary reduction of 20% will go to 10% and the staff on 30% will go to 20%. We will continue to review the situation with a view to reverting to full salary for all staff as soon as possible,” reads an excerpt of the statement.
In March 1, 2020, Macharia owned Royal Media Services directed a compulsory salary reduction of between 20 and 30 percent.
While refuting claims of the media house having dry bank accounts, RMS cited the unprecedented coronavirus outbreak in Kenya which had serious repercussions on its business.
In a memo signed by Group Managing Editor Wachira Waruru, RMS management acknowledged the employees’ commitment and contribution towards the gradual improvement of the company’s performance.
Most, in fact, all media houses in the country were forced to shut down and send employees home while others embarked on pay cuts to kero them floating as COVID-19 took toll on businesses.
Apart from Royal Media Services (RMS), journalists from Nation Media Group (NMG), Standard Media Group and Mediamax, also underwent salary cuts.
NMG Group CEO Stephen Gitama said that staff would get back a portion of what they had lost when their salaries were slashed earlier in the year due to the impact of Covid-19.
Other sectors that were affected included; retail sectors, hospitality and tourism industry, public transport, banking and mobile money services as well as the stocks exchange.
