In mid-June 2026, the International Labour Organisation adopted Convention C193 on Decent Work in the Platform Economy, marking the first globally binding legal framework to address how technology reshapes work. The instrument arrives as the EU's Platform Work Directive enters its implementation phase, creating parallel momentum for worker protections on two fronts. Yet translating these commitments into enforceable rules will demand sustained pressure from governments, unions and civil society.
What Convention C193 delivers for platform workers
The Convention represents a watershed moment for workers worldwide, embedding recognition that digital platform labour requires stronger safeguards against exploitative practices. It mirrors much of the EU directive's scope, covering fairer pay, expanded access to social protections, collective bargaining rights, occupational health standards and data rights—including the ability to access, correct and delete personal information.
A distinctive feature is its treatment of algorithmic management. The Convention mandates that companies disclose their use of automated systems for performance monitoring, task allocation and employment decisions. Workers gain the right to request written explanations of significant algorithmic decisions and to seek review of outcomes that harm them. While imperfect, this provision sets a new international benchmark, affirming that platform workers are workers, not mere intermediaries.
Where the Convention falls short on algorithmic accountability
The text's language around automated decision-making relies on softer formulations that leave room for weak implementation. Governments face only an obligation to "take appropriate measures" rather than hard requirements, and explanations of algorithmic decisions apply only to "significant" determinations. As the Platform Work Directive's transposition deadline approaches, the real test will be whether states interpret these provisions ambitiously or allow them to become hollow.
Advocates argue that governments must set a higher bar. Rather than requiring explanations only when workers request them, platforms should provide them as standard practice. Those explanations must be tailored to each worker, detailing the data and parameters driving decisions and showing how different outcomes were possible. States should also explore whether workers and their representatives can access application programming interfaces, testing environments or source code to audit algorithmic systems themselves.
Another risk lies in how employment classification provisions are interpreted. The Convention's protections must apply uniformly to all platform economy workers regardless of their formal status, or its practical force will erode.
The path forward: ratification, enforcement and beyond
Successful implementation hinges on direct engagement between governments, platforms, the ILO, workers, unions and civil society organisations to craft legislative frameworks with teeth. A non-binding recommendation that was meant to accompany Convention C193 remains delayed, having been intended to offer detailed guidance on transparency and explainability. That postponement creates an opening: the recommendation can now incorporate lessons from early implementation and emerging practices.
Yet the challenge extends beyond platform work. Late in 2025, the European Parliament adopted a resolution seeking broader legislation on algorithmic management across all workplaces. Both the European Commission and the ILO have begun researching automated systems in employment contexts beyond platforms. The fight for worker protections against algorithmic harm will need to widen accordingly, with unions, digital rights groups and human rights advocates pressing for safeguards in other sectors and forums.
