Browsing by Author "Du Toit, Darcy"

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    International Regulation of Platform Labor. A Proposal for Action
    (Weizenbaum Institute, 2021) Fredman, Sandra; Du Toit, Darcy; Graham, Mark; Vadekkethil, Aradhana Cherupara; Bhatia, Gautam; Bertolini, Alessio
    Platform-mediated work is a source of livelihood for millions of workers worldwide. However, because platforms typically classify workers as ‘independent contractors’, those workers are generally excluded from the scope of labor rights. This has a corrosive effect on working standards of platform workers, creating the need for an international regulatory framework to prevent a race to the bottom. To address this situation, the article proposes an outline for an International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention for the regulation of platform work going beyond the employee/independent contractor dichotomy. It identifies five core issues in the platform economy – low pay, poor working conditions, inaccessible and unreasonable contracts, unfair management, and a lack of representation – and demonstrates how existing ILO standards could be adapted to address these issues. The proposals are informed by the evidence collected by the Fairwork project through its participatory and multidisciplinary research.
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    The Fairwork Foundation. Strategies for Improving Platform Work
    (Weizenbaum Institute, 2019) Graham, Mark; Woodcock, Jamie; Heeks, Richard; Fredman, Sandra; Du Toit, Darcy; Van Belle, Jean-Paul; Mungai, Paul; Osiki, Abigail
    This paper introduces the Fairwork Foundation, a research initiative that is also developing an intervention around the quality of work on digital labour platforms. Lacking the ability to collectively bargain, many of these workers have little ability to negotiate wages or working conditions with their employers who are often on the other side of the world. As a result of this new global market for work, many workers have jobs characterized by long and irregular hours, low income, and high stress. Across India and South Africa, there are challenges for workers across a range of issues, including: pay, conditions, contracts, management, and representation. The results of the fieldwork are being used to rank and compare platforms as part of the ongoing ‘work in progress’ of the Fairwork project, a research initiative that is developing an intervention to improve the quality of work on digital platforms.