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The University of Cape Town
invites you to an inaugural lecture
by Professor Ines Meyer

 

Topic: "Work-for-pay" - for what?

A Call for Human Dignity to Take Centre Stage in the Employment Debate

Since the 1990s, economic growth has been the chosen path to inclusive prosperity in South Africa, and greater participation in the labour market is seen as key to socioeconomic upliftment. Implicitly, what seems to count primarily is that employment is created, not as much what this employment looks like. To date, this strategy has shown limited success: Poverty in South Africa increased between 2011 and 2016, directly affecting over half the population. Poverty is not restricted to the unemployed. Low-income earners also get trapped in poverty when they rely on loans to cover basic needs or unexpected expenses.

Job creation without at least equal focus on what these jobs look like can thus make lives less sustainable. Such jobs would not qualify as decent work is characterised by respect for human dignity, securing an adequate livelihood and supporting individuals and their families to fully develop their capacities and talents.

In this inaugural lecture, Professor Meyer proposes a shift - or at least more nuance - in how we see the link between work, income and inclusive prosperity. The research is embedded in the broader area of developing innovative ways in which to see work, the purpose of work, and the role of work, employers and employees in society. 

Date: Thursday, 12 October 2023
Time: 17:00 SAST
Venue: Leslie Commerce Building, LCOM2B, UCT Upper Campus

Click here to join online!

 

ines meyer

About our speaker

Ines Meyer is a Professor of Organisational Psychology at the School of Management Studies. Before becoming an academic, she worked in industry and with community-based organisations in South Africa in the field of organisational psychology. The latter shaped her academic focus: how organisational psychology can add value in alleviating poverty, reducing inequality and creating more humane workplaces. She currently holds the National Research Foundation’s South African Research Chair Initiative’s chair in Creation of Decent Work and Sustainable Livelihood. Through it, she advocates that the question about what the economy needs becomes secondary to what humans need. Ines has headed UCT’s Section for Organisational Psychology, served on and chaired her Faculty’s Transformation Committee, was Acting Dean for Transformation, and represented the Faculty on the university’s Social Responsiveness, Staff Development and Conference Travel Funding Committees.