The 113th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) commenced on 2 June 2025 at the headquarters of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland. A key item on the agenda for this session is the development of a new international labor standard on decent work in the platform economy.
Our Lead – Research and Policy Engagement, Shobhit S, participated in the side convening titled ‘Gig Workers United: Reimagining Global Justice in the Era of AI and Emerging Platform Capitalism’. Held from 3–5 June at the Université ouvrière de Genève (Workers University of Geneva – UOG), the event was co-organized by Gig and Platform Service Workers’ Union (a women-led union from India), UNIA (a Switzerland-based trade union), and a group of civil society organizations, including IT for Change, the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility, Equidem, Action Center on Race and the Economy, IRIS, PowerSwitch Action, the Centre for Law and Transformative Change, and The Worker Agency.
The side event opened with a keynote address by Leila Chaibi, Member of the European Parliament from France, who has been at the forefront of legislative efforts to regulate platform work in the EU. Over the next three days, participants collectively reflected on their struggles and strategies, laying the groundwork for a shared narrative that could connect their specific demands within a broader, unifying framework. Shobhit, representing IT for Change, co-facilitated a session on workers’ data rights, exploring how data functions as a site of labour extraction and algorithmic control and emphasizing the need for data governance frameworks that enable worker-led resistance and collective action. Drawing from IT for Change’s research, he also provided inputs on worker-centric platform models and their financing requirements, with contributions from social-impact investors.
On 4 June, participants gathered for a solidarity action at the iconic Broken Chair monument, demanding the establishment of a binding ILO Convention on work in the platform economy and the formal inclusion of platform workers’ organizations in the ILO’s negotiation process.
The event served as a space to build momentum toward a shared political narrative and a coordinated campaign strategy, laying the foundation for an upcoming joint resolution and an actionable roadmap for a transnational, worker-led movement that challenges platform capitalism and reclaims decent work in the digital age.