ILO Caribbean Office — Geneva, June 12, 2026
The 114th International Labour Conference concluded on 12 June with the adoption of the first international labour standards aimed at improving working conditions for millions of people who earn their living through digital labour platforms. The new Convention on Decent Work in the Platform Economy (C193) represents a landmark step in global efforts to ensure that technological innovation and new business models go hand in hand with workers’ rights, fair competition and sustainable economic growth.
The Convention calls on 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. Recognising both the opportunities and challenges created by digital labour platforms, the Convention extends rights previously limited to employees to those outside of an employment relationship — including in areas such as occupational safety and health and employment termination or deactivation. It also encourages Member States to extend adequate remuneration to all workers including those not in an employment relationship, and addresses issues such as protection against violence and harassment, workers’ data protection and privacy, and safeguards for the responsible use of automated systems and algorithms. The new standard applies to all digital labour platforms and extends key protections to all platform workers regardless of how their employment status is classified under national law. 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. We could not disappoint them, and you showed once again that the ILO remains capable of shaping the present and future of work.”