From Servants to Workers — South African Domestic Workers and the Democratic State – By Shireen Ally

Abstract

This book has ambitious objectives. Author Amanda Tattersall examines three coalitions in three English-speaking countries to discover what factors make for strong coalitions between labour unions and community organizations. More boldly, she also uses what she learns to make a series of judgments concerning the centrality of such coalitions for progressive social change, and how the very strategy, purpose and theory of unions can and must change because of lessons learned from coalitional practice.Implicitly using concepts from social movement theory, such as resource mobilization, political opportunity structures and framing processes, Tattersall identifies three key elements of coalitions between unions and community organizations: 'common concern' (the issue and the organizational and membership commitment to it), organizational relationships and structure (capacity, decision making, culture and bridge builders and coalition structure) and 'scale' (level of political opportunities, scale or scales of decision makers and 'local broker organizations' for coalitions operating at higher levels).The author uses these three elements to systematically analyse a public education coalition dominated by the teacher's union in New South Wales, Australia; a Chicago-based coalition of multiple community organizations and unions fighting for a 'living-wage' ordinance and living-wage requirements for 'big box' retailers such as Wal-Mart; and a Canadian coalition of several unions and community partners (primarily senior groups) in Ontario to preserve the public health system. Tattersall argues persuasively that analyses and comparisons of these three cases across national boundaries is legitimate despite the different national contexts as long as one is careful to incorporate those national differences into the analysis. She uses the Australian case to analyse and illustrates issues concerning common concern, and the US and Canadian cases to do likewise with the issues of organizational relationships and scale. In each instance, the cases chosen lend themselves to the analysis carried out.Power in Coalition systematically analyses the relationships between each of the primary factors (common concern, organizational relationships and scale) with four different desirable outcomes or results: (a) winning on the issue, (b) augmenting or creating a supportive political climate, (c) sustaining relationships, and (d) building the capacity of coalition organizations. Primary factors are further subdivided: 'common concern' is signified by organizational commitment, member commitment and public commitment; 'organizational relationships' are measured by organizational capacity, British Journal of Industrial Relations

Do Different Types of Households Use Outsourced Domestic Cleaning Services for Different Reasons? An Explorative Study in South Africa

“…However, outsourced domestic cleaning services may not work for everyone, especially in South Africa, where affordable full-time and part-time domestic workers are available (Ally, 2010). First, outsourced domestic cleaning service companies may be more expensive than domestic workers on a full-time or part-time basis.…”

“…Regarding interviewee participants' profiles, all were women and white South Africans, which typically reflects the historical pattern of employers of domestic workers in South Africa (Ally, 2010). The average age of the participants was 50 years.…”

“…While these studies provide a useful discussion on domestic cleaning services, they focus on the European and Asian contexts which are different from South Africa. By making clients the object of analysis, rather than domestic workers, this study contributes to the debate on paid domestic work in South Africa, where paid domestic work is available and affordable (Ally, 2010). Therefore, this study contributes to new insights into domestic work and outsourcing debates within South Africa and how changes in middle-class household structures could drive the need for outsourced domestic cleaning services.…”

“…In South Africa, domestic workers' full-time and parttime employment were particularly prominent during the apartheid era (until 1994). Although it is still widespread in South Africa today, and in other countries, domestic work duties can now be procured from outsourced domestic cleaning service companies rather than managed in-house or by employing a domestic worker (Ally, 2010;Heinecken, 2021: 1150).…”

“…Scholarly research on domestic work underscores that the personalisation, which results in the longevity of employment relationships in paid domestic work, is often a key component of this type of work (Hondagneu-Sotelo, 2007) and that it does not disappear with formalisation (Jokela, 2018;Richard-Guay, 2016). Similarly, South African research mainly focuses on the working conditions, employment relations between employers and domestic workers, and the legislation's impact on paid domestic work (Ally, 2010). For example, Cock's (1980) seminal book, 'Maids and Madams', illustrated that among other issues, the long-term relationship between domestic workers and employers during apartheid was characterised by inequality, dependency, and exploitation.…”