Africa’s data workers are being exploited by foreign tech firms – 4 ways to protect them: Data workers in Africa often have a hard time. They face job insecurities – including temporary contracts, low pay, arbitrary dismissal and worker surveillance – and alarming physical and psychological health risks. The consequences of their work can include …
Anora: a refreshing depiction of sex workers as part of the working class: Anora, or Ani as she prefers, is a a young New York stripper who meets and marries the son of a Russian oligarch. But this film is not a fairytale and there is no happy ending. But neither is it a tragedy. …
End of coal in South Africa: what 100,000 workers will need when their jobs go: South Africa’s move to renewable energy means that the coal industry will be phased out over the coming decades. This transition away from a fossil-fuel based economy will affect over 100,000 workers in coal mining and coal-fired power generation – …
Burnout and bias can lead to poor care during childbirth – we created a project in Kenya that helps health workers: An estimated 800 women die every day across the world as a result of pregnancy-related complications. Most deaths (95%) occur in low- and middle-income countries. Two-thirds are in sub-Saharan Africa. For every woman who …
Minimum wage for South African farm workers: study shows 2013 hike helped reduce poverty even though compliance was poor: Minimum wage policies are typically aimed at reducing poverty. Yet there is little direct evidence of this effect, especially in developing countries. And none for South Africa. In a recent paper, we consider the income, employment …
How visas for social care workers may be exacerbating exploitation in the sector: Ground Picture/Shutterstock The health and social care visa route was introduced in August 2020 as a response to labour shortages after Brexit and the COVID pandemic. Now, the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration has found that the Home Office’s “limited …
Why 150,000 public sector workers in Northern Ireland have been on strike: An estimated 150,000 public sector workers in Northern Ireland went on strike on January 16 as part of a long-running dispute over pay and conditions. The strike, which involved workers from 16 trade unions, was the largest in more than 50 years. Official …
Social workers can help children more effectively by assessing the needs of the whole family – study: What do children need most? The answer often depends on a person’s relationship with the child. When people think about children outside their family and close friends, they commonly make basic needs the priorities. Food, shelter and services …
The care home sector got £2.1 billion in government COVID aid — our research shows care workers themselves got little support: Danie Franco|Unsplash The Coronavirus public inquiry has made public all manner of decisions taken by the UK government, during the pandemic, that have shocked the nation. In particular, Jenny Harries, current head of the …
Deliveroo judgment shows how gig economy platforms and courts are eroding workers’ rights: NeydtStock/Shutterstock The tide of employment law has continued to turn on the gig economy after the UK Supreme Court’s recent ruling that Deliveroo drivers are not considered workers but self-employed independent contractors. This means people working in the gig economy are less …
South Africa’s wage gap is huge: why companies should report what CEOs and workers earn: Inequality in South Africa is high, whether measured by income or wealth. One of the results is that there’s acute public scrutiny of executive compensation. This is understandable given that the skew in rewards for executives compared with wages of …
Replacing frontline workers with AI can be a bad idea — here’s why: R. Classen / Shutterstock AI chatbots are already widely used by businesses to greet customers and answer their questions – either over the phone or on websites. Some companies have found that they can, to some extent, replace humans with machines in …
Why young workers are leaving fossil fuel jobs – and what to do if you feel like ‘climate quitting’: C_Production/Shutterstock Are you frustrated with your employer’s lack of commitment to sustainability? Maybe “climate quitting” is for you. Climate quitting means leaving your job due to concerns about your employer’s impact on the climate or because …
Male domestic workers in South Africa – study sheds light on the experiences of Malawian and Zimbabwean migrants: An estimated 800,000 people work as domestic workers in South Africa. Most are black women from marginalised backgrounds. It’s therefore not surprising that the bulk of the literature about domestic work focuses on females performing cleaning, cooking …
Shop theft has been building for years – here’s how to tackle retail crime and keep workers safe: Retailers want police to respond more to shop theft reports. Brian A Jackson/Shutterstock Retail giants like Boots, Tesco and Primark are pushing for Home Office action after violent incidents and abuse against shop staff almost doubled since …
Trade unions and the new economy: 3 African case studies show how workers are recasting their power in the digital age: From US car factories to public sector workers in Nigeria and South Africa, strikes by trade unions continue unabated among the established sectors of the working class. In Detroit in the US, workers are …
Violence against workers increased during the pandemic – our research shows how it affected them: pixfly/Shutterstock For weeks of lockdown in the UK and beyond, people took part in nightly applause for healthcare staff and carers. Many expressed gratitude for other frontline workers: waste management workers, bus drivers, retail employees and others performing services that …
Eye of the Storm: Netflix’s pandemic melodrama highlights the humanity of healthcare workers: Netflix’s Taiwanese drama, Eye of the Storm, is the latest cinematic depiction of a pandemic. But rather than focus on COVID, it tells the story of the 2003 Sars epidemic through Taipei City Hospital’s Heping branch. This real event, where a devastating …