A capabilities assessment of changes to the Workers’ Rights Act in Mauritius: exploring methods and findings - Dr Naja Yusof & Dr Pratima Sambajee

Event Date: 16 June 2021

Speakers: Dr Naja Yusof and Dr Pratima Sambajee, University of Strathclyde

Time: 14.00-15.00  

Venue: online

Abstract: In May 2020 the government of Mauritius introduced the COVID-19 (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill. The Bill substantially altered the Workers' Rights Act (WRA) of 2019 and legitimised changes in working conditions, employment protections and modifications to lower-income workers’ rights to adequate compensation. In general, the newly introduced regulations were and remain an attack on labour rights. Theoretically framed by the Capabilities Approach (Nussbaum 2000; Sen 1979), our mixed methods study considers the impact on migrant and domestic workers’ abilities to lead healthy lives and engage in fulfilling work. We focus on tourism and hospitality, textile manufacturing, and the informal economy as the most vulnerable and affected sectors. In this presentation, we take you on our journey of measuring and understanding the impact of changes to the WRA on workers' quality of work and life. To do this, we will share how we conceptualised and operationalised the problem. We explain how we designed the survey questionnaire, the pilot data received so far and we discuss key methodological challenges. 

Published: 4 August 2021