Absorb Dogansoy
June 12, 2026•Mise à jour: June 12, 2026
AA / Istanbul / Serap Dogansoy
Members of the International Labor Organization (ILO) adopted this Friday the first international treaty intended to protect digital platform workers, a rapidly expanding category which notably includes VTC drivers, delivery people and service providers working via applications or online platforms.
Adopted during the annual conference of the UN agency, the convention will apply to all workers in the platform economy, regardless of their legal status, employee or self-employed.
The text asks States to guarantee fundamental rights at work, in particular freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining, the prohibition of forced labor and child labor. It also provides for measures relating to health and safety at work, protection against violence and harassment, as well as access to social protection.
Guarantees on remuneration
The agreement also imposes guarantees concerning remuneration, in particular the full and timely payment of payments, respect for the minimum wage where it exists, the payment of certain professional expenses and the transparency of deductions made by the platforms.
The text will enter into force twelve months after its ratification by two ILO member states, then will apply in each country one year after the registration of its own ratification.
A rapidly growing sector
According to the World Bank, up to 435 million people were working for digital platforms worldwide in 2023.
The ILO emphasizes that this model has created new employment and income opportunities, but that working conditions often remain determined unilaterally by platforms through service contracts and algorithmic systems that assign tasks, evaluate performance or influence remuneration.
Several trade union and human rights organizations believe that this model allows, in many countries, to circumvent certain labor law protections by classifying workers as independent contractors.
The adoption of this convention marks the first attempt to establish a common international framework to govern the rights of workers in the platform economy.
