In South Africa, deepening social inequality, widespread poverty and mass unemployment embody our most fundamental challenge, exemplified by the crisis that erupted in parts of the country during July 2021. The destitution at the root of the crisis – people without work, households without resources, in the midst of plenty – calls for creative and urgent policy responses: harnessing unemployed labour towards addressing areas of social need on a sufficient scale. This is not new: various policies of this nature have been launched in recent decades but with limited results. One starting point is to understand why the policies have not been more effective, what could be done differently and how law can promote effective change.
A second starting point lies in the changing economic environment. Digital technology has transcended many of the traditional limitations on the performance of work. Decentralisation, indirect forms of control and ‘non-standard’ forms of work have been among the consequences. These developments have also transcended much of the existing legal framework. The law, therefore, must be reimagined in the interests of social justice, and the target is continuously moving as new forms of technology bring yet more change. However, this constantly changing context also requires a reimagined partnership amongst stakeholders to work towards a digitally inclusive and just societal and work context.
Against this background, Centrow and the Western Cape CoLab are jointly hosting an online Conference on Platform Work and Inclusion, with specific focus on Ensuring Decent Work and Basic Rights that will take place on 2-3 March 2022.
The potential and pitfalls of platform work have been widely debated. The aim is to break new ground by building on existing knowledge. The approach is multi-disciplinary, incorporating aspects of law, technology, social sciences, management and organisation. The central theme is the capacity of platform work as a mechanism for promoting –
The inclusion of vulnerable / marginalised / casual workers in
The creation of work opportunities (projects), based on
Decent work and
Worker empowerment.
This boils down to the digital inclusion of targeted communities and co-creation, with them, of interventions and technologies required for promoting decent and sustainable work opportunities. At the same time, it calls for identifying and advocating regulatory (legal) changes that are needed in support of the organised objectives.
The practical purpose of the conference is to help lay a basis for platform-based projects that can bring together workers and provide them with the resources to put the above principles into practice. This involves learning from experience, identifying opportunities and sharing ideas on how to plan and launch successful projects and requirements for skills development initiatives.
The conference will feature contributions from researchers from South Africa and African universities, as well as international perspectives from researchers from the Max-Planck-Institute for Social Law and Social Policy and the Oxford Internet Institute. Crucially, it will also be a forum for the perspectives of stakeholders and policy-makers to be integrated in the development of a plan of action.
