KAMPALA August 31st– A groundbreaking report advocating for essential pro-worker initiatives and equitable working conditions within Uganda’s digital labor platforms has been unleashed. This pioneering research zeroes in on a select dozen digital platforms operating within Uganda’s ride-hailing and food-delivery sectors. The core objective? To subject these platforms to meticulous scrutiny against five principles of fair work: fair pay, fair conditions, fair contracts, fair management, and fair representation. These guiding principles were meticulously forged through extensive dialogues at the International Labour Organization (ILO) with platform workers, platform managers, trade unions, regulatory authorities, academics, and legal experts specializing in labor law.
The project’s aim is twofold: to reveal the current state of labor conditions within the platform economy and to envision what they could become. The Fair work ratings emerged as a beacon of independent insight into the labor conditions of platform work. These ratings offer invaluable perspectives for policymakers, platform companies, workers, and consumers. Ultimately, the project’s goal is to illustrate how the platform economy can provide better and fairer working conditions to the millions who depend on it for their livelihood.
Bonnita Nyamwire, Co-Director of Research at Pollicy, expressed, “This report underscores the pressing need for equitable conditions in Uganda’s digital labor landscape. Our research highlights the challenges faced by platform workers, particularly women, and emphasizes the importance of adopting comprehensive safety measures and proactive strategies against harassment.”
By 2021, nearly 60% of Ugandan youth were engaged in gig work, a number that surged due to the digital shift accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This transition saw more individuals opting for short-term employment arrangements with employers outside of traditional office settings. Notably, it thrust significant technology companies like Glovo, Quicksend, and Delivery Yo, as well as transportation firms like Safe Boda, Uber, Bolt, and Little Ride into the limelight. Workers flocked to platform work enticed by promises of decent incomes and flexible working conditions amidst high unemployment rates.
However, this research found no evidence to suggest that workers across platforms were guaranteed even a minimum wage after costs. Moreover, workers reported that the platform work environment is far from safe, lacking the dignified conditions every worker deserves.
While ride-hailing services offer convenient transportation, they have also been associated with safety incidents that particularly affect women drivers. Sadly, few women engage in the digital platform economy in roles like ride-hailing or delivery due to what many described as unfair conditions. Women working in these sectors reported experiencing physical and verbal harassment, groping, leering, and even physical assault. Instances of robbery, abusive conduct, and refusal to pay for rides were also reported. Shockingly, platforms offered little evidence of meaningful safety measures, leaving workers to fend for themselves, often resulting in income loss.
To address these critical issues, it is imperative that platforms adopt policies that prioritize the safety and well-being of women workers. This includes comprehensive safety measures, specialized training, the implementation of modern technology, and proactive strategies to combat harassment. By doing so, we can empower women to participate fully and safely in digital labour platforms.
The research was done under the Fairwork project, coordinated by the Oxford Internet Institute and the WZB Berlin Social Science Centre, in partnership with Pollicy, a feminist tech collective based in Uganda, and with support from the Germany Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
The report is available in English or Luganda here.
For further inquiries and information, please contact:
Pollicy
Bonnita Nyamwire
bonnita@pollicy.org
For Fairwork
media@fair.work
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