For the first time, seven location-based platforms in Pakistan have been evaluated against Fairwork’s five principles.
Gharpar, a local platform offering beauty services at home, is tied with Uber and Foodpand in the current table with a score of one point each.
Researchers were unable to award any points to the remaining four platforms: Cheetay (food delivery), Careem (ride-hailing), Bykea (ride-hailing) and Daraz (e-commerce delivery) under the Fairwork principles.
Only workers on Gharpar were able to consistently earn above the minimum wage after costs, which for 2021 was PKR 22,602 (ca. USD140) per month or PKR 109 (ca. USD0.70) per hour.
Uber is the only platform to evidence that they are aware of the risks that platform workers face in the course of their work, ranging from road safety issues to crime and violence, providing emergency assistance, and ethical data protection measure.
Not all platforms have clear and accessible terms and conditions, and only Foodpanda has been awarded the first point for fair contracts.
Researchers could not evidence that any of the platforms we studied provided due process for decisions affecting their workers, including avenues for workers to meaningfully appeal disciplinary action (fair management).
Researchers could not award a point on the fair presentation principle to any of the platforms. Gharpar was the only platform which came close to providing meaningful collective worker voice mechanisms, in the form of its Gharpar Monitor Meetings. For the remaining platforms there was insufficient evidence to warrant a score.