With an estimated 150 million to 400 million platform workers worldwide, technological innovation is rapidly transforming how many make a living. This transformation offers both opportunities and risks to many, as new ways of working leave gaps in existing protections.
This summer, a “landmark step” in global efforts to improve conditions for workers who earn their living through digital labour platforms was taken by the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) 187 member states.
The ILO’s 114th International Labour Conference (ILC) concluded in June with the adoption of the first international labour standard on decent work in the platform economy, the new Convention on Decent Work in the Platform Economy.
Held in Geneva from 1 to 12 June, the 114th ILC was attended by more than 5,700 delegates from governments and employers’ and workers’ organisations.
Following the decision to develop a new convention and recommendation on decent work in the platform economy at last year’s ILC, the ILO adopted this standard with a vote of 406 to 8, with 36 abstentions.
The international community for the world of work now has, for the first time, a comprehensive and binding legal framework on labour carried out through digital platforms. This new standard applies to all digital labour platforms and extends internationally recognised labour protections to hundreds of millions of platform workers, including those working in co-ops, regardless of their employment status under national law.
Related: Implications of the new European Platform Work Directive for co-ops
The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) described the move as “one of the most consequential developments in international labour law since the emergence of the International Labour Organization’s Decent Work Agenda”, adding: “The convention establishes a comprehensive framework that addresses several of the most pressing challenges arising within the platform economy, by strengthening labour protections, introducing procedural safeguards against arbitrary suspension and deactivation, establishing international norms governing algorithmic management, and reaffirming workers’ rights to organise, engage in collective representation, and participate in social dialogue.”
The ILO Convention (C193) calls on all member states to ensure that digital platform workers enjoy fundamental rights at work, including freedom of association and collective bargaining, protection from discrimination, child labour and forced labour, and the right to a safe and healthy working environment.
It also extends these rights to workers outside of an employment relationship, such as the self-employed, who make up the vast majority of platform workers.
In addition, the convention advocates for adequate payment to all workers, including those who are not in an employment relationship, and calls for protection against violence and harassment, as well as for workers’ data protection and privacy.
And it sets out safeguards for the responsible use of automated systems and algorithms, including transparency requirements and access to mechanisms for reviewing decisions.
The ICA’s director of legislation, Santosh Kumar, said: “The significance of this achievement extends far beyond the regulation of a single sector.
“At its core, the convention affirms a foundational principle of social justice: technological innovation cannot serve as a justification for the erosion of fundamental labour rights.
“In an era in which digital platforms have increasingly reshaped the organisation of work, the convention reasserts the primacy of human dignity, fairness, and accountability in the governance of labour markets.
“For more than a century, co-operatives have advanced an alternative vision of economic organisation grounded in democratic governance, member participation, equitable distribution of economic value, and respect for human dignity.”
Kumar added that platform co-operatives offer a “fundamentally different” institutional model; by aligning ownership and governance with the interests of workers, users, or multiple stakeholder groups, platform co-operatives are structurally positioned to implement many of the principles embodied in the convention.
“Rather than treating worker protection and technological innovation as competing objectives, platform co-operatives demonstrate that democratic governance and economic efficiency can be mutually reinforcing,” he said. “In this respect, the convention creates an unprecedented opportunity for co-operative enterprises to position themselves at the forefront of a more equitable digital future.”
Closing the ILC, ILO director-general Gilbert F. Houngbo said: “We were conscious that the eyes and ears of millions of workers and digital labour platforms were upon us. They were waiting for the results of these intensive days of deliberation. We could not disappoint them, and you showed once again the ILO remains capable of shaping the present and future of work.”
Houngbo referred to the report published earlier this year, A Moment of Choice: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Decent Work, emphasising the need for international co-operation to ensure that AI benefits all.
“Our task is to help ensure that all countries, enterprises and workers have a fair chance to participate in and benefit from this transformation” and “ensure that AI advances decent work for all through a human-centred approach,” he added.
This year, the ILC also adopted a resolution and conclusions on gender equality in the world of work and social dialogue and tripartism, while its Conference Committee on the Application of Standards marked its 100th anniversary and reviewed how countries are applying international labour standards in law and practice.
During the same week, the Group of Friends on the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) was launched at the ILO Headquarters in Geneva. Convened by the governments of Brazil, Colombia, and Spain, the initiative establishes a platform for governments to co-operate and promote the SSE’s role in decent work, sustainable development, and social justice.
Main image: ILO director-general Gilbert F Houngbo (image: ILO)
