A groundbreaking report has revealed the harsh realities faced by app-based transport and delivery workers across sub-Saharan Africa, accusing digital platforms of systematically undermining decent work standards.
Titled “Decent Work in the Platform Sector: A Grassroots Report from Sub-Saharan Africa”, the study draws on testimonies from workers from Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, and South Africa and exposes precarious working conditions, unfair pay, and a lack of labour protections.
The report, which was released at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) earlier this month, is the culmination of various consultations and engagements among unions and platform worker associations affiliated to the International Alliance of App-Based Transport Workers (IAATW) since August 2024.
Speaking at the launch of the report, Secretary General of the Western Cape E-Hailing Association, Omar Parker, thanked UWC’s Centre for Transformative Regulation of Work (CENTROW) which co-hosted the event to launch the report.
Omar said three South African app-based companies had been invited to be part of the discussions ahead of the report’s launch.
“As workers in the sector we are seeking alternatives to these multinational app companies which are exploiting us. We invited them here with the express reason to hear from them as well, and for them also to hear what it is that matters most to us – that’s the people on the ground,” said Omar.
The report, developed through consultations led by the International Alliance of App-Based Transport Workers (IAATW), highlights how companies misclassify drivers as “independent contractors” despite exerting near-total control over their work through algorithms. Workers reject labels like “partners” or “entrepreneurs,” arguing that the platforms’ tight management qualifies them as employers under labour laws.
CENTROW Director Professor Debbie Collier said next month’s International Labour Organisation’s conference will cover standard-setting for app-based workers.
“It is important that this is on the international agenda, but we have domestic, regional, and continental processes that we should also be feeding into. My concern is that we don’t leave it up to global and international law forums, like the ILO – that we bring it closer to home,” she said.
Prof Collier said what was encouraging about this week’s meeting at UWC was that it was a reminder that standard-setting was not merely a technical exercise, writing standard, but about fundamentally engaging in social and political processes.
“It is about participation and inclusion in shaping those rules and also an opportunity to reflect on how we can design and implement fairer rules and insist on labour standards in ways that are perhaps more effective than the frameworks that we currently have.”
Among the most pressing concerns highlighted in the report are:
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Poverty Wages: Workers are forced to juggle multiple apps due to meagre earnings, with no living wage guarantee. Hidden costs, high commissions, and vehicle oversupply further squeeze incomes.
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Sudden Deactivations: Many face abrupt account terminations without explanation or recourse, creating an atmosphere of fear akin to “forced labour.”
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Safety Risks: Drivers endure accidents, violence, and stress with little support, while women workers report gender-based violence, wage gaps, and restricted work hours.
The report has urged governments and the International Labour Conference (ILC) to:
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Reclassify app-workers as employees, closing the “independent contractor” loophole.
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Establish wage protections, ensuring earnings cover login-to-logout hours and adjust for inflation.
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Create an independent regulatory body to oversee fair commissions, limit vehicle oversupply, and enforce gender-sensitive policies.
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Ban unfair deactivations, demanding transparency in algorithms and due process for appeals.
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Expand health and safety laws to include platform workers, with emergency protocols and insurance.
National Convenor of the National E-Hailing Federation of South Africa, Uhuru Lekgowane, said although the taxi industry had promulgated a central industry determination in 2005, drivers are yet to enjoy the fruits of protection against abuse by their employers.
The report’s findings also expose gaps in enforcing core ILO conventions across the region, including freedom of association (C.87) and protections against forced labour (C.29, C.105). The IAATW warned that without urgent reforms, exploitative practices will worsen, leaving millions of workers trapped in precarious, algorithm-controlled jobs.
