character drawing illustrating the act of controlling the content of a contract

Contract guardian

Not all superheroes wear capes. Some stand up for fair and transparent employment contracts.

What does it mean?
It means making sure workers understand their terms of employment, and that contracts are clear, fair, and respected.

What can I do?
You can ask questions, seek support, and speak up when something doesn’t feel right in your employment agreement. Everyone deserves clarity and fairness.

Discover stories of people who stood up through their actions or wished they had done it.

Samuel, 24 years old, Kenya

The challenge

During university, I worked part-time at a restaurant. One day, a customer I was serving broke a glass by mistake. When I received my salary that month I noticed a reduction that I did not understand. My employer recovered the cost of the broken glass from my salary.

The inaction

At the time, I didn’t question it because I wasn’t sure if that’s just how things worked. I hadn’t been told anything about deductions like this when we agreed on my contractual terms but I didn’t feel confident enough to speak up. I was just happy to have a job as I really needed the income to support myself that semester.

The impact

There were several such incidents of costs being recovered from my salary for no fault of mine. When I spoke to my co-workers it seemed that this was only happening to me and was not standard practice. By the time I realised something was wrong it was the end of the semester and I had lost out on my rightful salary.

Eleni, 25 years old, Greece

The challenge

I worked for an organization with clearly defined duties and hours in my contract. But for three of the four years I was there, the workload grew significantly. I often worked over 10 hours a day on tasks beyond my role, and since I was paid a daily rate, the extra work didn’t feel fair or properly compensated.

The inaction

I only had a few years of work experience so I didn't say anything as I wanted to get a good reference. I felt if I continued to prove myself by working extra hours I could grow in the organisation.

The impact

I ended up working long hours without any extra compensation or recognition. When I finally raised my concerns, I was told I should have spoken up earlier and that management hadn’t noticed I was putting in so much extra time. It felt like an excuse- they were aware, but chose to ignore it.

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