Labour laws in Africa need to catch up with the new “paradigms” of employment, says the Ghanaian lawyer who won a lawsuit against Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter.
Carla Olympio, founder of Agency Seven Seven, was representing former Twitter employees who were fired without pay from the company’s Africa headquarters in Ghana after Mr Musk took over in 2022.
Last month she won the lawsuit against X and secured redundancy settlements for the ex-employees.
Following her landmark win she spoke to Africa Daily and stressed the importance of labour laws in safeguarding African workers in corporate transitions.
She said there was a gap in the law towards addressing newer ways of working, such as increased remote work, and general employment in Africa.
“The issue in Africa, and it’s not just in Africa, is that some of these newer paradigms of employment have not been specifically addressed,” she added.
She said multinational employment brings opportunities for growth and stability.
Ms Olympio added that prioritising legal safety measures becomes crucial to protect employees from unexpected challenges and ensure fair treatment.