Workers’ rights are a full-time job

There’s no denying that we love a big splash here at TBIJ. Our stories take months, sometimes years, and we want to see them on front pages around the world. 

But for us, more important than the splash is the wake the stories leave behind. Public interest stories are about holding people accountable, changing perspectives and sparking real change that improves people’s lives.

With this shiny new newsletter I – Lucy, hello there – am going to attempt to brighten your day by telling you all about the good that journalism is doing. I’ll be writing to you about the stories which have made a tangible and positive difference in the world. It’ll hopefully be a small reprieve from the doom and gloom news stories we are bombarded with.

Today is International Workers’ Day and for this first edition there’s no better story to talk about than what happened after we published Behind TikTok's boom: A legion of traumatised, $10-a-day content moderators.

TBIJ uncovered TikTok content moderators – contracted through the company Teleperformance – working in Colombia who were expected to watch gruesome images of child sexual abuse, murder, pornographic content and cannibalism.

They told us about widespread occupational trauma and inadequate psychological support, demanding or impossible performance targets, punitive salary deductions and extensive surveillance.

~ Apologies for starting this on a depressing note… there’s good news coming, I promise ~ 

Once we had published, we were delighted to see our work put to use in the real world. We soon found out that a lawsuit was subsequently filed against Teleperformance alleging that the company’s growth was in part dependent on its abusive treatment of its employees.

Teleperformance is a massive multinational company worth hundreds of millions that has its headquarters in France. It provides digital services for companies that often rely on cheap labour from the developing world.

The legal case argues that Teleperformance misled investors over working conditions for its content moderators, who were subject to “widespread occupational trauma without psychological support… extensive surveillance, and aggressive union-busting tactics”.

The law in the right hands is a force for good and this is a perfect example of how big multinationals can be held to account.

Not only was there legal action, but the Colombian labour vice-minister, Edwin Palma Egea, announced a government inquiry into Teleperformance. In the wake of this announcement, the company’s share price fell by a third in a day.

The company swiftly committed to improving the rights for its 440,000 employees worldwide. It also signed a “historic agreement” allowing its employees in Colombia the right to form a union.

Yet much to our amusement, the CEO and founder of Teleperformance, Daniel Julien, appeared to suggest that the press – we assume he was referring to us, TBIJ – was in cahoots with investors who could buy up shares cheaply:

“The share of the French shareholders has reduced from 20 per cent to 13 per cent over the time, meaning there has been a kind of panic sale. And who took advantage of that? The Anglo Saxon... I let you make your own conclusion.”

To banish any doubt, we of course did not conspire to destroy the value of the company so “Anglo Saxon” investors could hoover up cheap shares.

This is one example of how some good old fashioned sleuthing, a robust legal system and politicians who want the best for the people they represent can improve working conditions for hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

For another, keep reading to hear from Sybil Msezane, who was involved in our recent investigation into migrant workers’ rights on UK farms. But don't take my word for it – read hers!

“As an activist who has dedicated their life to lending their voice to those who are unable to speak, being asked to speak to the House of Lords felt like an honour. An honour to give a voice to the thousands who leave their families, flying halfway across the world in hopes of exchanging their labour for much-needed money to support loved ones. To be able to give a face to all those who make sure that the much touted “5-a-day” reach the homes of the British people, ensuring they remain healthy, despite the struggles migrant workers face on Britain’s farms.

On the morning of sharing my story, I walked into the Houses of Parliament with little expectation. I hoped, at least, that we would be heard, at best that hearing us would provide the impetus to bring about changes to a system that lent itself to being a modern, distant cousin of indentured servitude. As I answered questions, I knew that while we had been invited to the table, the intent was not necessarily to enact change but rather to tick a box.

However, even while feeling the resistance that hearing of our experiences brought forth from those listening to us, I knew that speaking truth to those sitting around that table was imperative. Even if it would not immediately change the system, it would provide enough to lay a foundation for inquiry of how workers are treated in a civilised nation.”

You can read more about Sybil’s experiences, and her testimony to Parliament here

That’s all and thank you, folks, for being my first 400 subscribers. I hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter! I’m looking forward to delving deeper into how investigative journalism is changing the world with you. 

Next time we’ll get into why we try to change the world at all, and talk about the fallout from the Westminster expenses scandal. 

And if there’s a story where you’re dying to know what happened next, get in touch. Reply to this email and I’ll start beavering away. It doesn’t have to be a TBIJ story, or even very recent - I want to write about the best and brightest bits of journalism, from Windrush all the way back to Nellie Bly. I would love to hear from you.