Geneva hosts the International Labour Organization's final negotiations on employment standards for platform-based services, beginning Monday. The talks aim to produce the first binding international rules and recommendations that would apply to workers engaged through digital platforms - including ride-hailing, food delivery and e-commerce services.
A core issue at the table is whether statutory protections such as a minimum wage and social benefits - including healthcare, sick leave and contributions to social security systems - should be universal for people working through these platforms or contingent on whether those workers are classified as employees or as self-employed contractors.
Delegates will also confront the growing importance of automated management tools used by platforms. Negotiators plan to address transparency and accountability concerns around how algorithmic systems assign tasks, determine pay and evaluate worker performance.
The ILO launched preliminary discussions on platform work last year and now seeks agreement on binding measures and accompanying recommendations by the end of next week. Any final text must be negotiated and approved within the ILO system, which requires consensus among governments, employer representatives and worker organizations.
Observers expect protracted bargaining and attempts by some members to soften the language. According to Lena Simet, senior advisor on economic justice at Human Rights Watch, countries including the U.S., China, Argentina and India are in favour of a less prescriptive framework, while the European Union, Brazil and Mexico favour more robust worker protections.
Human rights and labour organizations have emphasised the practical consequences of classifying large numbers of platform workers as independent contractors. They argue this approach enables companies to avoid obligations associated with employment, such as minimum wages, healthcare, paid sick leave and social security contributions.
"There is a serious problem with transparency and accountability around how algorithms are used to determine pay and performance," said Lena Simet.
Representing business perspectives, the International Organisation of Employers - which describes itself as representing roughly 50 million companies worldwide - has argued for a flexible framework that allows national adaptation. A ride-hailing company echoed the need for flexibility, stressing the importance of preserving worker autonomy.
"It should enable countries to provide meaningful protections while preserving the flexibility, choice, and independence that many workers value," an Uber spokesperson said.
On the other side of the debate, trade unions call for a legally binding convention. The International Trade Union Confederation, the main global body representing workers, has pressed for strong obligations to prevent technological change from eroding labour rights.
"Technological innovation cannot be used as an excuse to weaken democratic labour rights," said Luc Triangle, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation.
The outcome of this round of negotiations will determine whether the ILO sets a global baseline for how gig economy platforms treat their workforces and how member states implement rules governing pay, benefits and algorithmic systems. But negotiators will need to reconcile divergent national approaches and the competing priorities of employers and workers before any text can be adopted.