Rights Group calls for binding standards to protect gig workers ahead of ILO negotiations

22-05-2026 | Oluwatobi Ibikunle | Asia Team Researcher,
Global Human Rights Defence.

Ahead of the International Labour Organisation negotiations in June 2026, Human Rights Watch released a new report calling for binding international standards to protect gig workers from exploitation. The report highlights that millions of platform workers worldwide face unstable pay, extended hours, and inadequate social protections.

In a new report, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged government officials negotiating a new international labour law on gig work to adopt binding standards to ensure fair pay, safe working conditions and access to social security. The World Bank estimated in 2023 that there were up to 435 million gig workers worldwide. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) treaty negotiations are scheduled for June 2026. Governments are expected to conclude talks on the landmark treaty, which will aim to protect workers who find work through digital labour platforms.

The report titled “Algorithms of Exploitation: Rights Abuses in the Gig Economy and the Global Fight for Change” documents the experiences of platform workers in nine countries, including India, Kuwait, Kenya, Mexico, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

HRW found that workers across all the countries on which it focused face low and unstable earnings, unsafe working conditions, and a lack of protection when injured or unable to work. These workers described experiencing violence, long working hours, declining pay, and a lack of support from platform companies.

Lena Simet, the senior economic justice advisor at HRW, said that platform companies have built a business model that bypasses labour protections and shifts risk as well as costs onto their workers, despite largely controlling tasks and pay. Platforms classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees. She added that governments should ensure that platform work is governed by fair pay, safety and social security.

HRW is urging the convention under negotiation to address existing protection gaps by including key guarantees for platform workers, regardless of employment status. Because platform companies routinely classify workers as independent contractors or self-employed, many countries exclude them from minimum wage, social security, and occupational safety guarantees.