As a Bangladesh country-partner Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, DataSense has been conducting the landscape assessment of the gig economy labour scenario in Bangladesh. The research is looking into the current labour policies and practices by the gig work platforms and creating an annual ranking of these platforms based on their performance in maintaining these policies.
Project timeline:
Sep 2020 – Aug 2021
Partners:
- Oxford Internet Institute, The University of Oxford, Bangladesh
- GIZ
- WZB
- Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
Project objective:
The primary objective of the Fairwork project is to evaluate and rank digital labor platforms based on the fairness of their working conditions, ultimately demonstrating that better and fairer jobs are achievable within the platform economy.
This is achieved by assessing platforms against five globally developed principles (Fair Pay, Fair Conditions, Fair Contracts, Fair Management, and Fair Representation), which have been localized for the Bangladeshi context through multi-stakeholder consultations. The project uses a rigorous methodology involving desk research, interviews with platform management, and direct interviews with workers to gather evidence for scoring.
Project outcome:
- Platform Awareness of Fair Work Principles: Participating digital labor platforms gain familiarity with the principles of fair work for gig workers.
- Policy and Operational Reshaping by Platforms: Platforms begin to reshape their policies and operations to better address the issues faced by gig workers in Bangladesh.
- Increased Platform Engagement with Fairwork: Platforms demonstrate a keenness to score well on the Fairwork league table, leading to discussions and potential implementation of fair practices.
- Published Data and Privacy Policies in Local Context: Specific platforms, like Food Panda, agree to publish their data and privacy policy in the local language and Bangladesh context.
- Initiated Consultations with Policymakers and Legal Experts: Fairwork Bangladesh team engages in consultations with platform legal experts and government regulators regarding guidelines and legal frameworks.
- Developed Resources for Workers: Fairwork principles and findings are made available as a resource for workers to use in organizing and demanding fair standards.
- Established Partnerships with Civil Society Organizations: Fairwork leverages partnerships with CSOs (e.g., Bangladesh International Labour Organisation, Policy Research Institute, Centre for Policy Dialogue) to advocate for fair work.
- Worker Association Collaboration: Fairwork engages with and supports workers and workers’ organizations, such as the Dhaka Ridesharing Drivers Union, in their efforts to advocate for their rights.
Locations the project served: Nationwide platforms
Impact:
- Improved Working Conditions for Gig Workers: Reshaping of platform policies and operations directly leads to better working conditions for gig workers in Bangladesh.
- Facilitation of Policymaker Action: The report aids policymakers in considering and developing a roadmap for creating better working conditions by updating policies and legal frameworks.
- Enhanced Worker Organizing and Engagement: Gig workers are better enabled to organize themselves and engage with platform owners to negotiate for fair deals.
- Reputational Incentive for Platforms: Platforms are motivated to implement fair practices due to their reputational interests and desire to score well on the Fairwork league table.
- Advocacy for Worker Recognition in Labor Law: The project contributes to the overall goal of advocating for the government to recognize platform workers and informal workers within the Bangladesh Labour Act, protecting their legal and fair rights.
- Continuous Evolution of Fairwork Principles: Ongoing international stakeholder consultations ensure the principles remain relevant and responsive to worker experiences.