LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – New documents obtained by the Cable News Network (CNN) have revealed that Twitter has fired its entire staff base in Africa without severance.
This development is coming on the heels of a revamp being carried out by new CEO, Elon Musk, after completing his $44bn takeover of the microblogging site.
According to the CNN report, the layoff took place in Accra, Ghana, Twitter’s physical location in Africa, where the staff have been informed of the new decision by the company.
The leaked document, it was gathered, read that the employees were left without any notice of what happens next, unlike their counterparts in the US, who were told about their severance package.
CNN Correspondent in Johannesburg, Larry Madovo, who is close to happenings in the African office sheds more light on the situation.
“On Tuesday, after working remotely for about a year, Twitter’s African staff in Ghana, finally opened the physical location.
“On Friday morning, they were locked out of their e-mail accounts, and their work laptops stopped working. They then received e-mail notifications on their personal accounts that they were getting terminated.
“Let me read the part of this e-mail from the Director of people’s services at Twitter’s Dublin Office in Ireland.
“It says in part: ‘The company is reorganizing its operations as a result of a need to reduce costs. It is with regret that we’re writing to inform you that your employment is terminating as a result of this exercise.
“‘Your last day of employment will be 4th December, 2022. You will be placed on garden leave until your termination date’.”
According to Larry, the mail was reportedly forwarded to the staff in a condescending manner, which includes not being told about their severance or the next steps for the disengaged staff.
He said: “Twitter employees, many of whom I’m speaking to from the Ghana office and across the organization tell me, at least for the Africa Staff, that e-mail did not even mention them by name.
“It just said see attached.
“And one more thing. Even though Elon Musk said everyone who got fired was getting at least three months of severance, those in the Africa office didn’t get the ‘next step’ or if they’re going to get severance at all which some lawyers in Ghana are now pointing out could be a violation of Ghanaian employment law.”
As things stand, it is not sure whether there would be severance packages for disengaged staff or if the mail is the last that will be heard of the sack.