A month ago, this blog forewarned a looming mass exodus at Nairobi-based CGTN Africa – the African division of China Media Group, CMG.
Oppressed staff at the failing media house spoke out against rampant mistreatment and racism meted upon them by rude Chinese supervisors who do not even meet basic academic qualifications and are earning in Kenya without verified work permits.
In the last year alone, over 8 top-tier newsmen have departed the station.
Tired of constant intimidation, a huge section of new media journalists also opted to venture out as independent content creators.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: The Mess At CGTN Africa
Weeks later, sources at the sleeping Chinese giant inform us that the devastating exits have only increased.
Local and foreign journalists are literally fleeing away from the media house.
The latest are Tuli Tshabalala, an experienced scriptwriter, and Felix Nyawara, a producer of the show “Talk Africa”.
In the latest submission to cnyakundi.com,a trusted insider further reports that working conditions at the company continue to worsen by the day.
Under the new management, weekends and public holidays are counted as leave days.
Efforts to reach out for help from the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) have proven futile.
As it turns out, the rogue two specific Chinese bosses have compromised all officials in the department with big fat envelopes.
Mr Yao and Xuguang are said to hold the designated role of bullying native Kenyan staff.
Nobody is allowed to question anything, and journalists barely have the freedom to effectively operate.
This blatant discrimination extends to wages, where Chinese workers earn more than their Kenyan counterparts.
They also don’t provide them with access to necessary benefits like NHIF and NSSF.
As the source explains below, drivers, who are subcontracted under a third-party firm, are the most affected.
They are forced to work shifts of over 18 to 20 hours, and most of the trips made have little to do with business.
In fact, they spend the most time dropping the Chinese bosses from one nightclub to another.
They also run personal errands, like shopping and moving the things when they switch houses.
“Hi Nyakundi
Days after news of a mass exodus at China Media Group or CMG, formerly CGTN Africa, more details continue emerging on why the employees are fleeing away from the former Chinese giant.
Reports have now emerged that most Chinese staff are operating locally without work permits, and most are using tourist visas for their stay in the country.
Local and foreign journalists have been running out of the wreck like a burning house.
The latest being Tuli Tshabalala a scriptwriter from the south and Felix Nyawara a producer of the show Talk Africa.
Aside From that, the new regime had tried to bypass Kenyan labour laws that allow workers to take working leave days.
Under the new management, weekends and public holidays are counted as leave days.
All this is happenings while the Ministry of Labour sits back and watches while its staff continue receiving bribes from the Chinese who have compromised them.
Workers are wondering whether the loud-mouthed Secretary-general of COTU is aware of this infringement of workers’ rights.
The pay discrepancy between foreign and local workers is also a mess.
While a Kenyan worker does the same assignment as his or her foreign colleague, the foreign employees earn almost six times more than the locals.
This had created a Rift between them, with the Chinese opting to exploit it and create more divisions.
There are two Chinese bosses that are hellbound on preventing staff from raising issues with the top boss, the two are Mr Yao and Xuguang.
Mr Caori is kept in the dark about what is happening right under his nose.
There was too much misuse of funds by the previous regime that the management noticed and is trying to clean up.
These fellows have no shame exploring poor and underpaid staff.
Drivers are the most affected.
They are forced to work for longer hours (18 to twenty-hour shifts), with the longest time spent dropping these characters from one hotel and casino to another.
They are even forced to run personal errands, including shopping and even evacuating from one house to another.
All this happening while the companies contract to provide transport, also owned by the Chinese, are mistreating the drivers by not giving them written contracts and refusing to pay them overtime despite the drivers working until late dropping the CGTN staff home.
One such company is Star of Africa owned by Jack Ma (nobody knows his real name) CGTN has decided to enrich their own and not a single contracted company is owned by a local.
This includes transport, catering and cleaning services.
They even import Chinese to come and do painting jobs that are manpower can be sourced locally.
It has also been noted that these companies don’t provide their employees with necessary requirements like NHIF and NSSF.
The Chinese media giant is now a laughingstock that cannot even mount a production challenge to Kenyan media houses.
BBC, whichever was forced to establish an African platform, has whitewashed this shameful media house that is now being run by Chinese rookies with no clue about media management.
Fellows who hold no respect even to the Human resource office,” the source writes.
