Description
This paper provides a preliminary analysis of the ILO Decent Work in the Platform Economy
Convention, 2026 (No. 193), the first international labour standard devoted specifically to platform
work. It examines the Convention’s scope, substantive protections, and principal interpretive
questions, arguing that its significance lies in the cumulative architecture through which platform
work is brought within the reach of international labour standards.
Particular attention is given to the Convention’s broad personal scope. Self-employed platform
workers are generally included throughout the instrument, while specific provisions permit
protections to be adapted to different employment statuses without excluding workers outside an
employment relationship. The analysis considers the Convention’s provisions on fundamental
principles and rights at work, occupational safety and health, violence and harassment,
employment-status classification, remuneration, wage protection, social security, and the allocation
of responsibility among platforms and intermediaries.
This paper also examines the Convention’s comparatively novel regulation of algorithmic
management. It analyses rights to information concerning automated systems, the connection
between their responsible use and collective bargaining, the concept of “decent work by design”,
written explanations and meaningful human review of automated decisions, personal-data
protection, and safeguards concerning suspension, deactivation, and termination.
Finally, the paper addresses applicable law, contractual circumvention, forum shopping, and access
to remedies. Although the Convention reflects significant compromises, it fully recognises that
platform work is work, extends labour protection into areas previously underdeveloped in
international labour standards, and provides a binding foundation for national regulation,
collective bargaining, litigation, enforcement, and further standard-setting.