Former employees of X, formerly known as Twitter, who were based at its African headquarters in Accra, Ghana, have finally received their redundancy settlements after a protracted battle lasting over a year.
These employees, who were laid off in November 2022, had faced challenges in securing their promised redundancy payments from X. Most of them had only been in their roles for a few months when they were terminated, prompting threats of legal action against the company.
The termination of staff was part of a broader downsizing initiative undertaken by X under the leadership of Elon Musk, who took over the company in 2022. Musk embarked on a significant global staff cull, resulting in over 6,000 job losses. The African contingent, comprising fewer than 20 individuals, had been part of this downsizing.
Agency Seven Seven, the company providing legal representation to the affected staff, confirmed the successful negotiation of redundancy settlements and repatriation expenses, though the specific payout amount was not disclosed. Carla Olympio from Agency Seven Seven expressed the relief of the former employees in finally receiving their due compensation and being able to move forward.
The delay in payments had reportedly taken a toll on the mental health and finances of the affected staff, some of whom had relocated from neighboring countries such as Nigeria. Their termination left them stranded in Ghana, along with their families, exacerbating their challenges.
X has faced previous legal challenges related to severance payments. Last year, the company was hit by a lawsuit filed by ex-employees in a California court, alleging the non-payment of promised severance packages totaling at least $500 million.
The resolution of the redundancy payment issue for the former African headquarters staff comes after a prolonged period of negotiation, with X reportedly beginning discussions only after the matter received media coverage, including from the BBC.