Neha Vyas: Assessing Alternative Platform Models for the Domestic Work Sector in South Africa

Assessing Alternative Platform Models for the Domestic Work Sector in South Africa  

Dr Neha Vyas 

This presentation draws on findings from an ESRC IAA funded project examining alternative platform models in South Africa's domestic work sector, conducted in collaboration with Centre for Transformative Regulation of Work (CENTROW) at the University of the Western Cape and South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers Union (SADSAWU). Employing an evidence-based legal method, the project assessed the efficacy of existing labour law in practice, tested the hypothesis that digital labour platforms can alleviate the sector's structural problems, and evaluated the potential of platform cooperatives as a worker-centred alternative to investor-owned platforms. The presentation reflects on the research findings, the translational outputs arising from the project, and the broader methodological implications of evidence-based legal research in vulnerable sectors. 

Project Website - https://www.ncl.ac.uk/law/research/projects/altplatforms-domesticworkers/