X, formerly known as Twitter, has fulfilled its obligation to compensate the staff it let go from its African headquarters over a year ago, according to the agency representing them.
Many of the affected employees, who were based in Accra, Ghana, had only recently joined the company when they were dismissed in November 2022.
Initially, they had voiced their intention to take legal action against X for failing to honor the redundancy payments they were entitled to.
The company has chosen not to offer any comments regarding this matter.
X had previously stated that it had settled all outstanding dues with its former employees.
Under the leadership of Elon Musk, who assumed control of the company in 2022, X underwent significant downsizing globally, resulting in the termination of over 6,000 positions. Musk had cited daily losses exceeding $4 million (£3.5 million) as a reason for the layoffs.
The African team, comprising fewer than 20 members, had recently relocated to X’s new office in Accra after approximately eight months of remote work during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Agency Seven Seven, the legal representative of the affected staff, confirmed that it successfully secured redundancy packages and repatriation expenses for foreign employees, although the exact amount was not disclosed.
Carla Olympio from Agency Seven Seven expressed the relief felt by the staff, stating, “They are very pleased to finally be able to get their due, put this behind them and look to the future,” in an interview with the BBC.
Last year, former employees voiced concerns t, detailing the adverse impact of X’s actions on their mental health and financial well-being.
“It’s difficult when it’s the world’s richest man owing you money and closure,” one employee remarked.
Initially, the staff were informed that despite their contracts being terminated, they would receive payment for an additional month of work. However, they found themselves immediately locked out of their emails, with no further salary disbursements.
Since then, they had been engaged in a protracted struggle for compensation.
Several staff members had relocated from neighboring countries like Nigeria. The termination of their contracts left them stranded in Ghana, along with their families.
In a rare interview last April, Musk revealed that X had 1,500 employees, down from nearly 8,000 at the time of his acquisition of the company.
Following public scrutiny of Musk’s extensive layoffs, he tweeted that laid-off employees were provided with three months’ severance pay. However, the Africa-based staff claim they did not receive this.
According to Agency Seven Seven, negotiations between X and the terminated African staff only commenced after the story received coverage from the BBC.
Last year, X faced legal action in a California court, as former employees alleged the company refused to fulfill severance packages totaling at least $500 million as promised.
