In just over two weeks, the world’s workers, employers and governments will gather at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva to finalise negotiations on global regulation for platform work. For millions of transport workers, the outcome could change everything.
Last year, the ILO made a historic decision. At the 113th International Labour Conference (ILC) in June 2025, an overwhelming majority of constituents agreed that platform work needs a binding international law – enforceable global standards. Workers' organisations, including the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and our affiliates, fought hard to reach that moment. And when it came, governments delivered.
Now comes the hard part. From 1–12 June, workers, employers and governments return to Geneva for the 114th ILC – and this time, they must close the deal. The draft texts of a Convention and supplementary Recommendation are on the table.
The ITF is grateful to the many governments that have stood firmly on the side of workers throughout this process. We ask those governments yet to join us to do so now, and to all those governments on the side of justice for platform workers we now ask this: support our key priorities.
For the delivery riders navigating Lagos traffic, the ride-hail drivers waiting in São Paulo, and app-based transport workers in every corner of the world, this is the moment that matters most.
Progress made but gaps remain
For two and a half years, the ITF and our affiliates have been building the evidence base and fighting to shape a Convention and Recommendation that will bring real change to platform transport workers’ lives.
Our work has moved the needle. Core definitions, scope, and a foundational article on automated systems were agreed at the 2025 ILC and are now locked in. Informal consultations in April helped clarify positions and narrow some gaps. But several critical and potentially contentious issues remain unresolved, and governments must act decisively to close the gaps.
- End the misclassification trap
One of the most persistent abuses in the platform economy is the deliberate misclassification of workers as independent contractors to deny them employment rights. The draft text must be strengthened so that correct classification is determined by the facts of the work, not the label a platform company chooses to apply.
This means recognising the full range of methods for establishing an employment relationship, including a legal presumption of employment. Misclassification is how millions of workers are shut out of minimum wages, sick pay, collective bargaining and the right to organise. Getting classification right is fundamental.
- Full protections for all, including the self-employed
It remains critical to ensure that all digital platform workers, including self-employed workers, are fully covered by fundamental rights protections, including occupational safety and health (OSH).
The Convention must confirm the extension of fundamental rights protections to all digital platform workers, including self-employed workers and including occupational safety and health (OSH).
OSH is not a privilege of employment status. It is a right that belongs to every worker, everywhere. The Convention must also ensure that workers have information and consultation rights before automated systems that affect their health and safety are introduced or altered.
- Pay protections
The draft makes progress on remuneration and payment for platform workers. However, only having an optional mechanism to ensure that such coverage is extended to self-employed workers is insufficient . That loophole must be closed: governments must push for universal application.
Every platform worker deserves adequate pay for all time worked, including waiting time. Platforms must also be banned from charging workers fees.
ILO Convention No. 181 already prohibits private employment agencies from charging workers fees. The same principle must apply. The current draft allows governments to extend fee protections to self-employed workers only where "possible and appropriate", a loophole that leaves too much room for exploitation.
Algorithmic management must be accountable
Workers cannot be managed by algorithms – rated, ranked and punished without knowing why. The agreed 2025 text on automated systems must be defended and further strengthened.
The Convention must address the abusive use of restrictions – limiting job visibility, reducing search rankings, disabling messaging – as opaque punishment with no notice, justification or appeal. On deactivation and suspension, our position on what is needed is clear: written explanations, genuine human review and the right to appeal.
Platform transport workers must have transparency over the systems that control their working lives, the right to human review, and genuine consultation and bargaining rights before algorithms are deployed.
What platform transport workers are demanding
Platform transport workers have not waited for governments to act. Through the ITF and our affiliates, they have articulated 11 clear demands that must be at the heart of the Convention.
- Guaranteed legal protection for all platform workers, regardless of status
- Coverage of all forms of platform work
- An end to misclassification
- Full access to workplace rights, including freedom of association, decent work, and protection from violence and harassment
- Transparent and fair algorithmic management
- A living wage or income covering all working time
- Universal social protection
- Control over personal data
- Protection from unfair deactivation
- Mandatory clear contracts
- Robust enforcement of the rules
These are the minimum standards of dignity that platform workers across the world are demanding and that a binding ILO Convention can deliver.
The time to deliver is now
The ILO's mandate has always been to identify gaps in protection and address them.
The platform economy is a case in point: the evidence is overwhelming, the regulatory gaps are documented, and the direction of travel was clearly set at the 2025 ILC. Fair and decent labour rules are not a threat to innovation — they give companies legal certainty, a level playing field, and enable sustainable business models.
To the governments supporting strong protections: the ITF thanks you. We urge you to defend and improve the text in Geneva, resist efforts to weaken it, and help build the coalition needed for adoption.
To the governments still weighing their position: the workers who power your cities, your roads, and your delivery networks are asking for something simple – the rights that every other worker has. A Convention on platform work is not a threat to your economy. It is the foundation of one that is sustainable, fair and just.
Workers have made their demands clear. Now it is time for governments to deliver.
