5 - Employment Practices within the Minibus Taxi Industry in Johannesburg: A Study of Precariousness of Jobs in South Africa
African Sociological Review,
Vol. 23 No. 2 (2019): African Sociological Review
Abstract
Following the work of Standing (2011), Clarke (2006) and others, I use the precariat theory to define the existence of precarious working conditions within the minibus taxi industry. I use precariousness to describe how the employment practices in the industry, labour legislation from the Department of Labour (DoL), regulations and public transport policies by the Department of Transport (DoT) define the nature of the industry. This article is situated in the broader context of my PhD thesis which investigated the impact of the Taxi Recapitalisation Programme (TRP) on precarious working conditions within the minibus taxi industry in Johannesburg. Using qualitative research methods, I conducted a total of fifty – eight interviews for my thesis. Results revealed the existence of precarious working `conditions within the minibus taxi industry – in the Global South. The article contributes to the study of precarity in the Global South, similar to Clarke (2006) who examined precarious work in post – apartheid South Africa. The minibus taxi industry’s labour conditions place its drivers in a position of precarity. This means that taxi drivers are daily exposed to bad working conditions which are not in line with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) or the Sectoral Determination (SD) on wages.
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- Allen, K., 2014. The Precariat: New Class or Bogus Concept.
- Barchiesi, F., 2011. Precarious Liberation: Workers, the State, and Contested Social Citizenship in Postapartheid South Africa. State University of New York Press, Albany, New York.
- Barrett, J., 2003. Organizing in the Informal Economy: A Case Study of the Minibus Taxi Industry in South Africa.
- Betti, E., 2016. Precarious work: norm or exception of capitalism? Historicizing a contemporary debate: a global gendered perspective. Power Norm 35.
- Bhorat, H., Lilestein, K., Oosthuizen, M., Thornton, A., 2016. Vulnerability in Employment: Evidence from South Africa.
- Browning, P., 2006. The paradox of the Minibus – Taxi.
- Choi, S.Y., 2018. Masculinity and Precarity: Male Migrant Taxi Drivers in South China. Work Employ. Soc. 32, 493–508.
- Clarke, M.J., 2006. ‘All the Workers?’ Labour Market Reform and Precarious Work in Post – Apartheid South Africa, 1994 – 2004 (A Dissertation Submitted To The Faculty Of Graduate Studies In Partial Fulfilment Of The Requirements For The Degree Of Doctor Of Philosophy). York University, Toronto.
- Deshingkar, P., 2018. The making and unmaking of precarious, ideal subjects – migration brokerage in the Global South. J. Ethn. Migr. Stud. https://doi.org/10.1080/1 369183X.2018.1528094
- Frase, P., 2013. The Precariat: A Class or a Condition? New Labour Forum 22, 11–14.
- Giddens, A., 1991. Modernity and self – identity: Self and society in the late modern age. Stanford University Press., Stanford CA.
- Hlatshwayo, M., 2018. The new struggles of precarious workers in South Africa: nascent organisational responses of community health workers. Rev. Afr. Polit. Econ. https://doi.org/10.1080/03056244.2018.1483907
- Ingle, M., 2009. An historical overview of problems associated with the formalization of the South African minibus taxi industry. New Contree 71–87.
- International Labour Organisation, 2012. From Precarious Work to Decent Work.
- Jonna, J.R., Foster, J.B., 2016. Marx’s Theory of Working – Class Precariousness – And its Relevance Today. Mon. Rev. 67.
- Kalleberg, A., 2014. Measuring Precarious Work.
- Kalleberg, A., 2009. Precarious Work, Insecure Workers: Employment Relations in Transition. Am. Sociol. Rev. 74, 1–22.
- Kalleberg, A.L., Vallas, S.P., 2018. Probing precarious work: theory, research, and politics.
- Khosa, M.M., 1994. Accumulation and labour relations in the taxi industry.
- Mahlangu, M.S., 2002. Labour Relation in the Minibus Taxi Industry (Master’s Thesis).University of Pretoria, Pretoria.
- Mahmud, T., 2015. Precarious Existence and Capitalism: A Permanent State of Exception. South West. Law Rev. 44.
- Marx, K., 2000. Wage – Labor And Capital.
- Marx, K., 1961. Capital. Foreign Language Publishing House, Moscow.
- Matebesi, S.Z., 2018. Insurgent Citizenship and Sustained Resistance of a Local Taxi Association. Qual. Sociol. Rev. XIV, 168–185.
- Mmadi, M.M., 2012. Mobile workplace: work conditions and family life of taxi drivers. (Magister Societatis Scientiae In Industrial Sociology And Labour Studies In the Department of Sociology). University of Pretoria, Pretoria.
- Mosoetsa, S., Stillerman, J., Tilly, C., 2018. Precarious Labor, South and North: An Introduction. Int. Labor Work. – Cl. Hist. 89, 15.
- Munck, R., 2013. The Precariat: a view from the South. Third World Q. 34.
- Muntaner, C., 2016. Global Precarious Employment and Health Inequalities: Working Conditions, Social Class, or Precariat?
References
Allen, K., 2014. The Precariat: New Class or Bogus Concept.
Barchiesi, F., 2011. Precarious Liberation: Workers, the State, and Contested Social Citizenship in Postapartheid South Africa. State University of New York Press, Albany, New York.
Barrett, J., 2003. Organizing in the Informal Economy: A Case Study of the Minibus Taxi Industry in South Africa.
Betti, E., 2016. Precarious work: norm or exception of capitalism? Historicizing a contemporary debate: a global gendered perspective. Power Norm 35.
Bhorat, H., Lilestein, K., Oosthuizen, M., Thornton, A., 2016. Vulnerability in Employment: Evidence from South Africa.
Browning, P., 2006. The paradox of the Minibus – Taxi.
Choi, S.Y., 2018. Masculinity and Precarity: Male Migrant Taxi Drivers in South China. Work Employ. Soc. 32, 493–508.
Clarke, M.J., 2006. ‘All the Workers?’ Labour Market Reform and Precarious Work in Post – Apartheid South Africa, 1994 – 2004 (A Dissertation Submitted To The Faculty Of Graduate Studies In Partial Fulfilment Of The Requirements For The Degree Of Doctor Of Philosophy). York University, Toronto.
Deshingkar, P., 2018. The making and unmaking of precarious, ideal subjects – migration brokerage in the Global South. J. Ethn. Migr. Stud. https://doi.org/10.1080/1 369183X.2018.1528094
Frase, P., 2013. The Precariat: A Class or a Condition? New Labour Forum 22, 11–14.
Giddens, A., 1991. Modernity and self – identity: Self and society in the late modern age. Stanford University Press., Stanford CA.
Hlatshwayo, M., 2018. The new struggles of precarious workers in South Africa: nascent organisational responses of community health workers. Rev. Afr. Polit. Econ. https://doi.org/10.1080/03056244.2018.1483907
Ingle, M., 2009. An historical overview of problems associated with the formalization of the South African minibus taxi industry. New Contree 71–87.
International Labour Organisation, 2012. From Precarious Work to Decent Work.
Jonna, J.R., Foster, J.B., 2016. Marx’s Theory of Working – Class Precariousness – And its Relevance Today. Mon. Rev. 67.
Kalleberg, A., 2014. Measuring Precarious Work.
Kalleberg, A., 2009. Precarious Work, Insecure Workers: Employment Relations in Transition. Am. Sociol. Rev. 74, 1–22.
Kalleberg, A.L., Vallas, S.P., 2018. Probing precarious work: theory, research, and politics.
Khosa, M.M., 1994. Accumulation and labour relations in the taxi industry.
Mahlangu, M.S., 2002. Labour Relation in the Minibus Taxi Industry (Master’s Thesis).University of Pretoria, Pretoria.
Mahmud, T., 2015. Precarious Existence and Capitalism: A Permanent State of Exception. South West. Law Rev. 44.
Marx, K., 2000. Wage – Labor And Capital.
Marx, K., 1961. Capital. Foreign Language Publishing House, Moscow.
Matebesi, S.Z., 2018. Insurgent Citizenship and Sustained Resistance of a Local Taxi Association. Qual. Sociol. Rev. XIV, 168–185.
Mmadi, M.M., 2012. Mobile workplace: work conditions and family life of taxi drivers. (Magister Societatis Scientiae In Industrial Sociology And Labour Studies In the Department of Sociology). University of Pretoria, Pretoria.
Mosoetsa, S., Stillerman, J., Tilly, C., 2018. Precarious Labor, South and North: An Introduction. Int. Labor Work. – Cl. Hist. 89, 15.
Munck, R., 2013. The Precariat: a view from the South. Third World Q. 34.
Muntaner, C., 2016. Global Precarious Employment and Health Inequalities: Working Conditions, Social Class, or Precariat?