GENEVA, June 12 - The International Labour Organization (ILO) on Friday adopted a convention establishing the first binding international employment standards for workers in app-based platform services, including ride-hailing, food delivery and e-commerce.
The agreement is designed to give those workers rights covering pay, workplace safety and access to social benefits. Central to the new framework is a move to stop platforms from designating workers as independent contractors in order to evade obligations such as minimum wage requirements, healthcare provision, sick leave and social security contributions.
The vote at the U.N. agency, which brings together governments, employers and workers, recorded 406 members in favour, eight against and 36 abstentions. Members of the ILO include representatives from those three constituencies.
While adoption of the convention marks a major step at the international level, the standards do not automatically create enforceable rights within countries. The text must be ratified by national governments and implemented through domestic law and regulation before it can be applied locally. The article notes that some countries, such as the United States, have frequently not ratified ILO conventions, while many European countries have been more supportive of the agency's instruments.
The World Bank has estimated the global number of app-based gig workers at between 154 million and 435 million people, illustrating the scale of workers potentially affected by the new standards. Rights groups and trade unions have argued that broad reliance on independent-contractor classifications has allowed companies to avoid paying minimum wages and providing standard employment benefits.
A 2025 report by Human Rights Watch surveyed U.S. platform workers and found a median take-home pay of $5.12 per hour after expenses, with overall compensation about 30% below the federal minimum wage. Those findings were cited in discussions supporting the need for a binding international framework.
Amanda Brown, vice chair of the ILO's Workers' Group, which represents trade unions and workers globally, described the agreement as a landmark for platform workers and a response to documented cases of abuse and exploitation. "For the first time in the history of international law, the women and men who move our cities, who clean and care in our homes ... will be named, recognised and protected by a binding international standard," Brown told delegates.
The convention also requires platforms to disclose how automated systems and algorithms affect work arrangements and conditions, increasing transparency about the role of technology in assigning tasks, setting pay and monitoring performance.
Roberto Suarez Santos, secretary-general of the International Organisation of Employers, welcomed the inclusion of flexibilities in the framework. "It respects national legal systems and allows countries to determine employment status according to their own laws and established criteria," he said, highlighting the space left for national interpretation.
The ILO itself does not have direct enforcement powers. Nevertheless, member states can submit complaints that may trigger investigations and put pressure on governments to act. Where a country ratifies the convention and incorporates it into national law, the text notes that individuals could have a pathway to pursue legal redress against platform companies through domestic courts.
As the convention moves from international adoption to potential national implementation, affected stakeholders - including platform firms, labour organisations and governments - will face decisions on legal classification, compliance costs and the mechanics of applying the new transparency and social protection requirements.