…As Punch Writes Staff, Hints On Possible Lay-Offs
…Shuts Down Sports Newspaper
…Nigeria Info Asks Workers To Embark On Leave Without Pay
…TVC, The Nation Slash Salaries Across Board
By Augustine Akhilomen
These are not the best of times for the media industry in Nigeria as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to take its toll on businesses across the country.
The five-week lockdown, coupled with the skeletal opening on Monday, May 4 has largely affected revenue from copy sales and adverts, forcing many newspapers to reduce their pagination, while other media organisations compelled majority of their staff to work from home.
But some media organisations have began to give their workers subtle hint of taking drastic steps to stay afloat in light of their revenue shortfall.
PUNCH Newspapers Nigeria Limited on Monday wrote to its employees to brace up for some austerity measures as the ravaging impact of the Covid-19 pandemic continues to take its toll on the company.
The letter, signed by it’s Managing Director and Editor in Chief, Mr. Ademola Osinubi told workers that part of the measures will be a radical reduction in pagination and permission for staff to stay off work without salary, an euphemism for staff lay-offs.
According to Osinubi, the sports newspaper in its stable had already been shut down, perhaps owing to the fact that all sporting activities worldwide have been grounded since the last week of March.
The Editor In Chief in the two-page memo received by the employees, said the company would engage in a reengineering, which according to him had already begun even before the pandemic.
Part of the memo titled, “These Trying Times And The Days Ahead read: “I am not at liberty to disclose all of the measures that the management has taken so far,” he said.
“But the ones that could be made public include an immediate reduction in print pagination; staff furloughing to comply with government and expert advisories on social distancing; the temporary shutdown of the sports newspaper; and significant financial reengineering,” he added.
The memo, Thepledge learnt has thrown staff of the company into panic mode. Some of the staff were in April told to stay away from work while some others were asked to proceed on their annual leaves.
PUNCH, however paid such staff their full April salaries, while they await the management’s next move in the subsequent months ahead.
Like PUNCH, AIM Group, owners of Wazobia FM, Cool FM, Arewa And Nigeria Info also wrote to its staff asking workers who have been working from home since the lockdown to embark on leave, albeit without any salaries going forward.
A letter by the Head, Human Resources, Oyinkan Adeniyi read, “In line with the Federal Government’s announcement of the framework of gradually easing lockdown measures in the FCT, Lagos and Ogun States effective Monday, May 4, 2020, which allows for companies to resume back to work, howbeit skeletally, the Management of AIM Group has had to weigh a lot of options that can be taken during this trying times to minimize the negative impact the pandemic has had on our operations, ensure the majority of our staff are retained while still meeting up with financial obligations to you our highly esteemed employees, suppliers and other stakeholders.
“Management has reached a very difficult position of placing all staff who are currently at home, not working since the commencement and who will not be working now that skeletal services will be commencing on a Furlough (unpaid leave) until things normalize.
“This means that while staff who are home now and not working remain our staff, they will not be paid salaries for the period not worked and until they are recalled back to the office,”
“Management understands everyone’s plight at this time but our hands are tied and we will not hesitate to review this position taken as soon as the economy of the company improves,”
Thepledge also learnt that about 25 persons have been disengaged from the employment of the organisation across the country during the period of the lockdown.
In a related development, the Chief Executive Officer of Television Continental (TVC) Andrew Hanlon has reportedly announced slash of salaries of staff of the organization to cushion the effect of the Coronavirus on the media sector.
In a broadcast message to the staff on Monday Hanlon stated as follows:
“Broadcasters across the world are battling with losses. In order to save jobs and not lay off any staff, I regret to inform you that we’ve been forced to reduce our pay.
“Staff earning N80,000 will get a 5% reduction, those earning between N80,000 and N200,000 will get a 10% cut.
“Senior staff earning between N200,000 and N400,000 will get 15 per cent while those earning N400 thousand to N1 million will get a 20 per cent reduction.
“The management team and director get 25% cut while the CEO also gets a reduction.
“ Pension, transport, accommodation allowances remain the same without any cut.”
Apparently taking the same path, Vintage Press Limited, publishers of the Nation Newspapers has already met with the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) chapel official to discuss the financial situation of the company and the need for a pay cut to sustain its operations.
It was agreed that there will be a percentage reduction based on the salary scale of the staff with the junior staff parting with the least and management the highest.
The staff are eagerly awaiting their April salary to know exactly how much they will have to sacrifice until the financial situation of the company improves.
There are also fears among The Nation staff that management might also be considering laying off some staff to also cushion the effect of the lockdown.
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