For far too long, the narrative surrounding the gig economy has been one of “innovation” and “disruption,” often at the expense of human dignity and fundamental labor rights.

Companies like Uber and Rappi, while undeniably transforming the way we access services, have simultaneously carved out a risky new frontier where millions of workers are stripped of the basic protections societies have fought to establish over centuries.

But a seismic shift has just occurred, one that promises to rewrite the rules of engagement and usher in an era where technology serves humanity, not the other way around.

After intense negotiations at the 113th ILO International Labor Conference in Switzerland, a binding Universal Convention regulating platform work has been approved, marking a historic victory for workers’ rights worldwide.

This monumental decision, reached after two days of fierce debate and resistance from powerful governments and employer groups (including a delegate from Uber), stands as a testament to the unwavering resolve of workers’ representatives and the crucial support of nations like Uruguay, Mexico, Indonesia, and the majority of African governments.

This is not merely an abstract declaration; it’s a battle cry for justice that has finally resonated on the global stage.

Unmasking the Illusion of “Partnership”: Why Platform Work Demanded a Reckoning

Digital labor platforms are, at their core, companies that provide everyday services through an app. They present themselves as innovative “disruptors” of outdated business models, yet in practice, their most truly disruptive innovation has been their insidious ability to operate outside traditional and enforceable labor regulations.

This has created a vast, unregulated gray area where workers are routinely exploited, underpaid, and denied essential protections.

Who are these “platform workers” that have become the unwitting subjects of this grand experiment in unchecked capitalism? They are the drivers navigating our streets, the delivery personnel bringing food to our doors, the care workers tending to our elders, the domestic workers maintaining our homes, and even those engaged in abstract tasks like data enrichment and content moderation.

While platform work can offer income opportunities, particularly for vulnerable groups, it has all too often trapped marginalized individuals in precarious conditions, restricting upward mobility and deepening existing inequalities.

Platform companies, in a semantic sleight of hand, often refer to their workers as “associates” or “partners.” Yet, this designation stands in stark contrast to the reality of their control.

These companies exert strict dominion over labor pricing, manipulate worker behavior through opaque algorithms, and unilaterally terminate “partnerships” without recourse.

This predatory model reduces millions of workers to mere commodities, underpaid, exploited, misclassified, and excluded from existing labor protections.

The Expanding Web: How Platform Work Threatens All Labor

The expansion of digital platforms into health and personal care services further illustrates the urgent need for regulation. These platforms have emerged in response to the growing demand for flexible, affordable, and accessible home-based support, yet they perpetuate the same exploitative dynamics.

Unlike traditional employers, care and domestic platforms claim to be mere intermediaries, connecting workers with clients without assuming employer responsibilities.

This classification allows them to bypass crucial obligations such as providing social security, fair wages, and workplace protections, including compliance with local collective agreements.

As a result, care workers are classified as independent contractors, left without guaranteed income, paid leave, or adequate legal safeguards.

The features of care and domestic platform work under this “marketplace” model are deeply concerning: a reliance on normative control, the undervaluation of care work as professional labor, user-driven pay negotiation, the contradictory effects of labor formalization, gendered inequalities in task valuation, precarious working conditions with limited protections, and the burden of unpaid labor and increased worker risk due to platform technologies.

This isn’t just about a niche segment of the workforce. The challenges faced by platform workers today could very well become the norm for everyone tomorrow.

Digital platforms are expanding into virtually every sector imaginable (home care, cleaning, logistics, and beyond). If we don’t act now, we risk:

• Lower wages and insecure work for all: More workers will face unstable “on-demand” jobs, devoid of stability or a living wage.
• Weaker health and safety protections: Companies will continue to bypass labor laws, endangering workers’ well-being.
• No guaranteed hours or benefits: More individuals will be pushed into precarious conditions, struggling to make ends meet without basic social safety nets.

Strong international standards aren’t just a nice-to-have; they are a necessity to prevent companies from undercutting workers’ rights and to ensure that technological progress benefits everyone, not just corporate balance sheets.

The ILO’s Binding Mandate: A Beacon of Hope

The International Labor Organization (ILO) has been at the forefront of this critical discussion, and its recent decision to adopt a binding Universal Convention marks a turning point.

A record 190 trade unions from around the world responded to the ILO questionnaire, unequivocally emphasizing that only a binding standard can guarantee decent work.

This conviction is rooted in the understanding that a convention is the only way to ensure a level playing field globally, addressing the challenges posed by digital labor platforms while ensuring a fair distribution of the opportunities they create.

But what makes an ILO convention so powerful, and why can it be binding on countries? If the ILO adopts a convention, member states are obligated to submit it to their legal authorities, such as parliament or congress, within one year.

If ratified at the national level, the convention serves as the basis for national laws and regulations. Crucially, if a country has ratified a convention and then violates it, workers gain access to a formal international procedure at the ILO to seek justice for these violations.

This provides a vital enforcement mechanism that has been sorely lacking in the platform economy.

Beyond the Headlines: The Specifics of a Just Future

The drafting of this new convention, which will take place in the coming months, will establish that labor relations between digital platforms and their workers will be subject to international labor standards.

This represents a momentous change in the fight against job insecurity affecting millions. Priority issues will include waiting time compensation, access to occupational health and safety, social protection, and clear regulation of employment conditions in the digital sector.

Furthermore, the convention will guarantee the applicability of current labor standards to all platform workers, safeguarding fundamental rights such as freedom of association, collective bargaining, non-discrimination, occupational health and safety, and the absence of forced and child labor. Beyond these existing protections, the agreement will address currently unregulated issues critical to platform work, including:

• The use and governance of algorithmic management.
• Protection of worker data, privacy, and portability of digital reputations.
• Monitoring and control, and external ratings or evaluations (including disciplinary measures or dismissals).
• Dispute resolution mechanisms.
• Wages, regular and transparent payment, pay rates, and the regulation and payment of overtime.
• Working time and the right to disconnect.
• Access to social protection.
• Rights to information and consultation.
• Commissions and recruitment fees.
• Labor inspection.
• Clear and transparent terms in contracts.

The ILO’s Yellow Paper, published in February 2025, served as the basis for debate, compiling the views of governments, employers’, and workers’ organizations.

This comprehensive approach, rooted in the principle that decent work is a human right, underscored the need to extend these protections to platform workers, who are often excluded due to their classification as “self-employed” or “independent contractors.”

Research has unequivocally shown that this “autonomy” is often illusory, masking long hours, algorithmic control, unilateral evaluations, and imposed conditions with no real room for negotiation.

This discourse, as various analyses have revealed, depoliticizes the employment relationship and shifts responsibility toward the individual, obscuring the inherent power asymmetries within digital platforms.

The Long Road Ahead: From Conference Room to Reality

The 113th ILO Conference addressed several crucial issues related to the world of work, with “Decent Work in the Platform Economy” taking center stage.

The Standards Commission on Decent Work in the Platform Economy proposed several key conclusions for the elaboration of the Convention, recognizing the transformative nature of the platform economy while simultaneously acknowledging the “decent work deficits and existing challenges for workers’ rights and protection.”

The focus was firmly on the significant impact of automated systems and algorithms on working conditions and access to work, and the need to supplement general rules with specific ones for digital platform workers.

The convention’s scope is broad, applying to all digital labor platforms and all digital platform workers. It explicitly mandates that each member adopt measures to ensure fundamental principles and rights at work, including freedom of association and collective bargaining; the elimination of forced and child labor; non-discrimination; and a safe and healthy working environment.

Specific provisions for occupational safety and health are also outlined, requiring platforms to take appropriate measures to prevent accidents and diseases, provide information and training, ensure safe equipment, and offer personal protective gear.

Crucially, workers will have the right to remove themselves from dangerous situations without undue consequences and the duty to report such hazards.

The approval of this binding ILO Convention for Platform Workers is not just a legal victory; it is a moral imperative. It is a resounding affirmation that labor is indeed not a commodity, and that every individual, regardless of how their work is mediated by technology, deserves dignity, respect, and the full protection of their fundamental rights.

This is the dawn of dignity, and the fight for a truly just future for all workers has just begun. The challenge now lies in ensuring that these powerful standards translate into tangible improvements in the lives of millions, transforming the digital landscape from a Wild West of exploitation into a realm of genuine opportunity and human flourishing.

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