What happened: India abstained on ILO Convention No. 193 in Geneva

India abstained in an International Labour Organization (ILO) vote held in Geneva on <strong>ILO Convention No. 193</strong>, a treaty on decent work for platform economy workers. India’s employer delegates and India’s worker delegates voted <strong>in favour</strong> during the same Geneva vote, while India’s Government chose <strong>abstention</strong>.

Background and earlier position: India’s ILO ratification approach and gig-worker regulation

The supplied material highlights two background strands. <ul class="list-disc pl-5 mb-3 space-y-1"><li>India has ratified many ILO core conventions, but has not ratified some conventions that could strengthen worker rights and workplace protections such as <strong>freedom of association and collective bargaining</strong> and provisions related to <strong>violence/harassment at work</strong>.</li><li>India’s domestic gig-work framework is built around the <strong>Code on Social Security, 2020</strong>, which defines <strong>gig workers</strong> and <strong>platform workers</strong> and mandates contributions to a social security fund. The supplied material characterises implementation as weak or notional, while citing state-level measures such as <strong>Rajasthan’s platform-based gig workers law</strong> and other state welfare boards.</li></ul>

What ILO Convention No. 193 covers for platform economy workers

<strong>ILO Convention No. 193</strong> is presented as establishing a baseline of rights for platform workers intended to apply regardless of how platforms label workers. The convention is linked to these protection areas: <ul class="list-disc pl-5 mb-3 space-y-1"><li><strong>Minimum pay</strong> and <strong>timely payment</strong>.</li><li><strong>Occupational safety and health</strong>.</li><li><strong>Social security</strong> protections on terms no worse than comparable workers.</li><li><strong>Algorithmic management</strong> safeguards: disclosure of significant automated decisions, provision of written explanations, and continuing involvement of a <strong>human decision-maker</strong>.</li><li><strong>Worker classification</strong> rules that focus mainly on how work is actually performed and the nature of the work performed, reducing loopholes based only on contractual labels.</li></ul>