Lekan Otufodunrin who recently ‘retired’ from The Nation Newspapers in a series of tweets writes of essential work conditions of services journalists must insist on having.
Journalists who write about the rights of other workers should read the details of the conditions of service in their organizations and know what they are signing for. We should demand review when some clauses are no longer tenable.
Where there are no documented conditions of service, we should demand one that has adequate provisions that cover our rights and privileges as workers. Beyond salaries, there are many entitlements we can be denied in the absence of clearly stated conditions of service.
Some journalists have resigned their appointments in media houses only to find out that they are not entitled to anything substantial (if there is any at all). For all the years they worked, there is no severance package to cushion their sudden exit in many cases.
The standard provision is that you get one-year basic pay for ten years work or it is prorated and one month’s pay for every extra year as I have benefited in The Punch Newspapers and The Nation Newspapers where I have worked for more than 12 years each.
Some basic provisions to look out for:
The composition of your total salaries. What is basic that is tax deductible?
What are the other payments? Are they all paid in cash monthly?
When is a staff due for confirmation?
What is the requirement for resignation and when sacked?
Know the disciplinary procedures so you don’t fall foul of it. I know a media house where if you don’t come to work for three days without permission to be away or message why you are not at work, the penalty is sack.
Monitor the payment of your deducted pension and taxes to relevant authorities. You need the pension savings when you are over 50. Tax certificates are usually required for some documentation.
