Paper short abstract:

Based on the concept of decent work and action resource and taking into account the dual context of informality and unemployment, this work analyses the quality of work of the Kaba mobile application's meal delivery workers in Togo.

Paper long abstract:

The development of delivery platforms in African cities is creating new jobs and transforming the existing world of work, but remains poorly documented. This article proposes to shed light on the work of the delivery drivers of the Kaba meal delivery application in Lomé (Togo). The aim is, on the one hand, to discuss working conditions in the light of the concept of decent work, which is based on four dimensions: (i) the creation of productive jobs, (ii) labour standards, (iii) social protection and (iv) social dialogue. On the other hand, it is a question of analysing the spaces and channels for expressing the claims of delivery workers in relation to their working conditions in terms of their resources for action. The results are based on first-hand qualitative data collected between 2020 and 2022 from 21 delivery drivers. This work reveals that, although delivery work offers certain opportunities in terms of employment and income, the counterpart is self-exploitation and conditions of non-social coverage and informal work (without a formal contract). Moreover, even though Kaba's delivery workers do not have trade unions or representative organisations, the public space and waiting times (in the vicinity of the restaurants and Kaba's head office) constitute time and space for the construction of collective demands, which are nevertheless expressed to those in charge not by representatives but individually. The decision to stay or leave delivery work remains strongly linked to the differentiated resources (social capital, mobilisation culture, etc.) that delivery workers can mobilise.