"India abstains as ILO adopts landmark platform economy workers' convention"
ILO Convention No. 193
First binding international treaty on decent work in the platform economy, covering pay, safety, social security, and algorithmic transparency for gig workers.
Tripartite System (ILO)
ILO voting structure where each member country is represented by three delegates: government, employer, and worker organisations.
India's labour market has historically been characterised by a vast informal sector, with over 90% of the workforce engaged outside formal employment protections. The rise of digital platform-based work — the gig economy — represents a structural transformation in how labour is organised, compensated, and regulated. Ride-hailing, food delivery, logistics, home services, and data-labelling have emerged as major employment channels, growing rapidly alongside smartphone penetration and affordable mobile data.
The regulatory response has evolved incrementally. The Code on Social Security, 2020 — one of four labour codes consolidating 29 central labour laws — was among the world's first central statutes to formally define gig workers and platform workers as distinct categories, separate from both formal employees and traditional informal workers. It mandated aggregator contributions of 1–2% of annual turnover (capped at 5% of worker payouts) into a dedicated social security fund. Prior to this, gig workers fell entirely outside the ambit of provident fund, gratuity, and employee state insurance protections. The Unorganised Workers' Social Security Act, 2008 and the e-Shram portal addressed the broader informal workforce but left platform-specific gaps unaddressed. The four Labour Codes were notified for implementation in November 2025, marking the formal operationalisation of this consolidated framework.
Gig work in India is characterised by task-based engagement, absence of a fixed employer-employee relationship, income variability, and classification of workers as independent contractors rather than employees. This classification is not merely semantic — it determines whether a worker is entitled to minimum wage enforcement, overtime, occupational safety protections, accident cover, and social security contributions. Platforms have historically exploited this ambiguity to avoid employer obligations.
ILO Convention No. 193, titled Decent Work in the Platform Economy, adopted at the International Labour Conference in Geneva, is the first binding international treaty specifically designed for platform workers. It extends a floor of rights regardless of employment classification — covering minimum pay, on-time payment, occupational safety, and social security on terms no less favourable than comparable workers receive. Crucially, it also regulates algorithmic management: platforms must disclose significant automated decisions, provide written explanations, and maintain human oversight. …
A legislation which confers on the executive or administrative authority an unguided and uncontrolled discretionary power in the matter of application of law violates which one of the following Articles of the Constitution of India?
With reference to ILO Convention No. 193 on 'Decent Work in the Platform Economy', consider the following statements:
1.It is the first binding international treaty specifically addressing the rights of platform and gig workers.
2.It requires platforms to disclose significant automated decisions and maintain human oversight of algorithmic management.
3.India voted against the Convention at the International Labour Conference.
4.The Convention applies only to workers formally classified as employees by their platforms.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following statements about the Code on Social Security, 2020:
1.It was the first Indian law to formally define 'gig worker' and 'platform worker' as distinct legal categories.
2.It mandates aggregator contributions of 1–2% of annual turnover into a social security fund for gig workers.
3.It specifies the exact nature and quantum of benefits that gig workers are entitled to receive.
4.Labour being a Concurrent List subject means states cannot legislate separately on gig worker welfare.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to India's engagement with core ILO conventions, which of the following statements is correct?
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