Rights group presses governments to strengthen protections for gig workers – Jurist.org

Report on Global Standards for Digital Platform Work and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Advancing Decent Work in the Gig Economy

A formal briefing has been submitted by Human Rights Watch to the International Labour Organization (ILO) concerning the development of the first global treaty on work organized through digital platforms. The submission calls for strengthening the draft text to guarantee fair wages, social security, and protection from exploitative management for gig workers. This initiative is critically aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, which aims to promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.

The Central Challenge: Labor Misclassification and its Impact on SDGs

The core of the issue lies in the classification of platform workers. Companies frequently classify workers as independent contractors, thereby excluding them from standard labor protections. This practice directly contravenes the principles of several SDGs.

• SDG 1 (No Poverty): The denial of fair wages and social security benefits, such as unemployment and health insurance, increases worker precarity and undermines efforts to eradicate poverty, as outlined in Target 1.3 concerning social protection systems.
• SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): Misclassification prevents workers from accessing rights and protections fundamental to decent work, including minimum wage, limits on working hours, and safe working conditions, directly conflicting with Target 8.8.
• SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): This model creates a two-tiered labor market, exacerbating inequalities by denying a rapidly growing segment of the global workforce the rights afforded to traditional employees, contrary to the aims of Target 10.4.

Key Recommendations for a Sustainable and Equitable Framework

Human Rights Watch advocates for specific amendments to the draft ILO treaty to create a robust framework that protects workers and advances the SDG agenda. The primary recommendations are as follows:

1. Establish a Presumption of Employment: The report urges the adoption of a global standard that treats platform workers as employees by default unless a company can prove otherwise. This measure is essential for closing legal loopholes that enable exploitation and is a foundational step toward achieving decent work under SDG 8.
2. Guarantee Fair Wages and Social Security: The treaty must include strong provisions to ensure workers receive fair remuneration and are integrated into national social security systems. This directly supports the objectives of SDG 1 by providing an economic safety net.
3. Protect Against Exploitative Management: The standards must address the risks associated with algorithmic management, ensuring transparency and fairness in how work is assigned, monitored, and compensated, thereby protecting labor rights as per SDG 8.8.

Conclusion: Strengthening Global Governance for Inclusive Growth

The proposed ILO convention represents a historic opportunity to align the burgeoning digital platform economy with international human rights standards and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The ultimate effectiveness of this treaty will depend on widespread ratification by member states and robust national enforcement mechanisms. By creating a binding international standard, the ILO and its partners can strengthen global institutions, promote justice, and ensure that technological and economic advancements contribute to inclusive and sustainable development, in line with SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  The article’s central theme is the protection of gig workers’ rights, advocating for fair wages, social security, and an end to exploitative management. This directly aligns with the goal of promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.

• SDG 1: No Poverty

  By calling for “fair wages” and “social security” for gig workers, the article addresses key factors in poverty prevention. Lack of stable income and social safety nets, common in the gig economy, can lead to economic vulnerability and poverty.

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  The article highlights the inequality between powerful platform companies and their workers, who are often misclassified as independent contractors to deny them rights. The proposed global treaty aims to correct this power imbalance and ensure “economic justice,” thereby reducing inequalities.

What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value.

  The article’s demand for “fair wages” for gig workers directly supports this target. The debate over worker classification is fundamentally about ensuring that platform work constitutes “decent work.”

• Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers… and those in precarious employment.

  Gig work is a form of precarious employment. The article’s focus on closing “legal gaps,” establishing a “presumption of an employment relationship,” and protecting workers from “exploitative management” is a direct effort to achieve this target.

SDG 1: No Poverty

• Target 1.3: Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all… and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable.

  The explicit call by Human Rights Watch for “social security” for gig workers aligns with this target, as it seeks to extend social protection systems to a vulnerable group of workers currently excluded.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• Target 10.4: Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality.

  The development of a “new global treaty” by the ILO is a policy-level intervention. The article advocates for this treaty to include strong provisions on wages and social protection to reduce the economic inequality between platform corporations and their workers.

Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Legal classification of workers: The article emphasizes the problem of “misclassification.” An implied indicator is the proportion of platform workers who are legally recognized as employees rather than independent contractors, thereby granting them access to labor protections.
• Coverage by social protection: The call for “social security” implies an indicator measuring the percentage of gig workers covered by at least one form of social protection (e.g., health insurance, unemployment benefits, pensions).
• Ratification and enforcement of international labor standards: The article mentions the new ILO convention and the need for “widespread adoption and robust national enforcement.” A key indicator would be the number of countries that ratify and effectively implement the new global treaty on platform work.
• Wage levels: The demand for “fair wages” suggests an indicator comparing the average earnings of gig workers to national minimum wage or living wage standards.

SDGs, Targets and Indicators

Source: jurist.org