DECENT WORK FOR SOME OR DECENT WORK FOR ALL? A STRATEGY FOR TRIGGERING A CAMPAIGN TO ORGANISE VULNERABLE WORKERS
Recycling waste on the streets of Johannesburg
Queuing to sell the ‘waste’ gathered during the day
A days work on the streets of Johannesburg
Decent Work for All?
y In 2009 the ANC government won the elections with the slogan, ‘Decent work for All’
y The term Decent Work was introduced into the global policy discourse by the ILO in 1999 y The demand for Decent Work is not new in South Africa; it lies at the core of the Freedom Charter
y BUT workers are fragmented locally and globally and have different levels of development and standards of work
y The difficult questions are how to define it, measure it and implement it.
Outline of presentation 1. Definition of Decent Work and the problems in developing a global definition 2. Explanation of the diagnostic tool we developed to measure Decent Work 3. Suggest a way to develop a strategy to organize vulnerable workers The Global Work Force
Country
Size of labour force (million)
Cost of labour per worker (US$ pa)
Value added per work (US$ pa)
China
USA
760
145
729
28907
2885
81353
Germany
United Kingdom
41
30
33226
23843
79616
55060
France
Italy
South Africa
27
26
17
No Data
34859
12705
61019
50760
16612
1. Defining Decent Work y Employment opportunities y Stability and Security at Work y Adequate Earnings and Productive Work
y Decent Hours of Work y Combining Work, Family and Personal Life y Equal Opportunity and Treatment y Safe Work Environment y Social Protection y Promotion of Social Dialogue Negotiating the tensions within Decent Work y Potential tension between the first indicator, creating employment opportunities and the other eight indicators, that add costs to employment by demanding a series of worker rights. y These tensions can only be resolved by a series of negotiations at all levels of the economy and society with all stakeholders.
y This will involve a series of trade‐offs amongst all stakeholders. y It will involve an alternative developmental path that allows for the goal of decent work to be realised over time through a series of immediate, short , medium and long term goals
Research Method
¾ Private security industry, agricultural labour and the hospitality sector in Gauteng
¾ Interviewed over 3000 workers ¾ Quantitative surveys were supplemented with qualitative in‐depth interviews. ¾ Distinctive research instrument because it focuses on individual workers, in particular occupations, at sector level. ¾ Contrasts with the standard ILO Decent Work Index, which is an instrument designed to measure decent work for the country as a whole
Private Security Guards
y Fastest growing industry and occupation in South Africa y First port of entry into the labour market for many who migrate into the city from rural areas and other African countries
y The industry is very competitive and global, G4S.
“Boredom is our daily bread, it is a lonely job. So boredom
is something you cannot run away from. Every­day I just come and sit here. You can play music, but you get tired of it. The night is very lonely – 12 hours is a long time. You just sit there and you think” (Sipho, 07/08/11). Obstacles to unionization
y Non‐compliance both with labour legislation and PSIRA’s regulations
y Unknown number of unregistered private security companies – unregistered security guards include many foreign nationals (e.g. from Zimbabwe, Malawi)
y These fly‐by‐night companies usually pay very little (some cases where people were paid R1500 per month) and employees are subject to exploitative practices such as double shifts and irregular pay. Nine Indicators for Measuring Decent Work amongst Security Guards Farm Workers y Farm workers declined from 1.1 million in 1993 to 796 806 in 2007
y Shift from permanent workers to casual and seasonal y Low unionization – 3% “He tells you to leave through the same gate you came in so I
just hang in there just so I can stay here. I hang in there … I
have tried telling him about the working conditions, but the
problem is the gate … The gate! You must just head straight for the gate. If you came in through it, leave through it that is what he will tell you” (Interview, 25/03/2012).
Decent Work Index among Farm Workers, by type of Farming
Hospitality industry
y 25% non –South Africans (82% Zimbabweans)
y Highly flexible labour market, employing a significant number of casual workers and part‐time workers of whom many are students.
y Shift work is widespread with many workers employed at night
“When you leave the baby he’s asleep and when you
come home he’s asleep again” (Interview: 30/09/12)
Obstacles to unionization y Highly flexible labour market, employing a significant number of casual workers and part‐time workers y Shift work is widespread
y Many workers in the hospitality industry, especially in casinos, do not see themselves as workers
y Restaurants, hotels and casinos are tightly enclosed and heavily guarded spaces
y Many of the issues are hidden, such as sexual harassment, and are difficult to mobilize publicly.
Decent Work Index for Hospitality Sector per type of Establishment
Workers’ benefits across the 3 sectors
Benefits
UIF Deductions
Paid Annual Leave
Paid Sick Leave
Annual Bonus
Pension Fund
Medical Allowance
Transport Allowance
Housing Subsidy
Funeral Benefits
Security
82
62
60
54
23
7.5
7
4
‐
Farm Labour Hospitality
32
‐
17
‐
24
‐
40
58
8
30
2
9
4
29
2
69
19
3. A Strategy for a Practical Route for Decent Work for All
TWO PRONGED STRATEGY
y Prong One: The results of this research be presented to employers , unions (including other worker representatives ) and government to set goals to achieve decent work and a system to monitor progress towards these goals
y Prong Two: Introduce Innovative Ways of Organising Vulnerable Workers
Sources of Workers’ Power
Structural Power
Traditional Forms of Workers’
Power
Marketplace bargaining power‐ skills New Forms of Workers’
Power
Logistical power, e.g. the ability to disrupt traffic, E‐Tolls or occupy highways, De Doorns
Associational Power
Organisational power, e.g. the ability to form unions and influence government policy through political Workplace bargaining power, e.g. the ability to processes
disrupt production through strikes Source: Adapted from Webster et al (2008)
Moral/symbolic power, e.g. use of media and public demonstrations, social media
Note of caution: Violence can be Counter‐productive y The use of violence can alienate workers from the public and from each other
y It can also lead to police violence
y Logistical and symbolic power must be used strategically and peacefully y We are building a democracy based on consent not coercion. Thanks to FAWU, SATAWU, SACCAWU