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Facebook and Instagram are kept clean by so-called content moderators
Photo: Bernd Weißbrod / dpa
As a content moderator, Cengiz Haksöz checks content on the social media platforms of the internet giant Meta and keeps the feeds of users on Facebook and Instagram clean. After publicly denouncing his working conditions, he was placed on leave by Canadian service provider Telus International. In addition, a ban on entering the company premises in Essen was issued.
As the trade union Ver.di has now announced, Haksöz will regain access to his workplace. This is the result of labour court proceedings. Christoph Schmitz, member of the national board of Ver.di, spoke in a statement of a hopeless attempt by Telus to "now want to terminate our colleague by individual contract".
Haksöz has shown great courage "to comment on the working conditions of content moderators," Schmitz explained. At a hearing of the Bundestag's Digital Committee, he said in English: "Without our work, social media platforms would be full of heinous content." He had seen a total of 4000 hours of this content. "I'm a broken man," he said.
Many of the employees have developed mental illnesses, Haksöz said. According to his own statements, he receives little more than the statutory minimum wage.
Haksöz was not allowed to enter the office
Last Thursday, Ver.di announced, among other things, that Haksöz was also no longer allowed to enter the office of the election committee for the upcoming works council election, although as its elected chairman he had the "legally defined task" of "organizing the election of the first works council for the approximately 1800 Telus employees, scheduled for July".
Telus International accused him of breaking the working agreement with the company. In turn, the company rejected Haksöz's allegations. However, a colleague from Essen made the same accusations to SPIEGEL. The wages for the digital dirty work are "by no means appropriate", the employer's offer of help is "ridiculous".
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