The maiden report on the working conditions of workers in the gig economy of Ghana shows that 50% of the platforms sampled took action to protect workers from risks that arise on their jobs but found unsafe and dangerous working conditions to be a key, daily concern for workers, particularly in the ride-hailing sector.

The report therefore, highlights the urgent need for these platforms to proactively address this particular concern as only one platform, Eziban, was able to demonstrate that it provided a safety net for workers.

The maiden report on the working conditions of workers in the Gig economy of Ghana titled ‘Fairwork Ghana Ratings 2021: Labour Standards in the Platform Economy’ was launched today, November 30, 2021 by the Fairwork Ghana project.

The Fairwork Ghana 2021 report looks at the working conditions of 10 digital labour platforms against five global principles of Fairwork which include fair pay, fair conditions, fair contracts, fair management, and fair representation. The platforms examined included Uber, Bolt, Bolt Food, Yango, Black Ride, Swift Wheel, IFerch, Eziban, Jumia Food and Glovo.

The five global principles of Fairwork

With regards to Fair Contracts, the report revealed that, with the exception of Black Ride and Glovo, there was insufficient evidence that clear and transparent terms and conditions were made available to workers by platforms.

“We also found evidence of extensive subcontracting arrangements whereby platforms engaged intermediary subcontractors who in turn engaged workers—workers were often unclear who was responsible for their working conditions and for the payment of wages. Only one platform (Glovo) was able to demonstrate that it did not impose unfair contract terms onto workers”.
Fairwork Ghana

Analyses on Fair Management showed that five platforms were able to proof that they provided due process for workers through a channel for workers to communicate and appeal disciplinary decisions including deactivations. However, only Black Ride and Eziban were awarded the advanced point, for issuing public anti-discrimination policies, and committing to proactive measures to advance equity on their platforms.

In terms of Fair Representation, the report found that with the exception of Black Ride and Eziban, platform companies fared poorly when it came to acknowledging a collective voice for workers. Black Ride was the only platform that went even further to recognize an independent collective body of workers publicly and formally.

Another global principle of Fairwork examined in the report was Fair Pay. The authors stated that there was sufficient evidence that workers on nine of the ten platforms earned the minimum wage after accounting for costs (GHs12.53/day).

However, the authors contended that this “could arguably be due to the low statutory minimum wage rate, and not an indication of fair earnings in the platform economy”.

The Maiden report however, finds insufficient evidence that workers on any of the ten platforms earned the living wage rate after accounting for costs (GHs 35.4/day). In other words, “we were unable to evidence that workers on any of the ten platforms earned enough to meet the standard of decent living”. The report notes that this highlights the need for regulation and worker consultation on matters of pay within the gig economy of Ghana.

Black Ride, best platform in 2021

The 2021 Fairwork Scores in Ghana range from 1-7, showing the heterogeneity in the working conditions among platforms, corresponding to the policies and management practices that they have in place. Black Ride, a ride-hailing platform, tops the list of platforms studied this year, followed by Eziban, a food delivery platform.

The scores are Black Ride (7), Eziban (6), Glovo (5), iFerch (3), Swift-Wheels (2), Bolt (1), Bolt Food (1), Jumia Food (1), Uber (1) and Yango (1).

Interviews with managers on both platforms revealed that the Fairwork process had provided them with new perspectives from the workers’ point of view—enabling them to reflect on their policies.

The platform economy in Ghana has grown rapidly in recent years. Such digital labour platforms are often heralded as offering a solution to the country’s persistent youth unemployment challenge. However, this rapid growth has also raised questions about the quality of work that these platforms provide, necessitating the recent study.

This first Fairwork report in Ghana is the result of a year-long collaboration between the University of Ghana Business School, the University of Oxford (UK), and the WZB Berlin Social Science Centre (Germany).