📍 Day 1 of the International Labour Conference discussion on platform work is complete. We are on the ground in Geneva and sharing key reflections for those following the negotiations from around the world. ✅ There is clear appetite among many governments for an international standard that protects workers in the platform economy. ⚠️ At the same time, several governments stressed that worker protections should not come at the cost of “innovation” and “flexibility”, a reminder that the terms of this debate are still being contested. 🌍 We heard very few governments speak explicitly about migrant workers, even though migrant workers are deeply embedded in the platform economy across countries. 🔗 The role of intermediaries also received limited attention, despite being central to how many workers experience platform-mediated work in practice. ✊ We are encouraged to stand with the Workers’ Group, which has been clear: when we speak about platform workers, we must mean all workers. As discussions continue, we hope to see more governments engage with the realities of platform work in all their complexity. Any future standard must reflect the realities of migration, subcontracting, intermediaries, and cross-border accountability, so that all workers, wherever they are, are meaningfully protected. On to Day 2. 🚲📱 #ILC2026 #PlatformWork #DecentWork #WorkersRights #PlatformWorkers #gigworkers #FutureOfWork #labour #labourrights #WorkerVoice #ILO #gigworkersrising

🗣️ “The 2026 ITUC Global Rights Index reveals a deepening global crisis for workers' rights. This is not accidental — it’s the billionaire coup against democracy to strip away rights, silence workers, and rig economies for the powerful few. The fight for workers’ rights is the #FightForDemocracy, for dignity at work, and for a fair future.” @luc_triangle ITUC General Secretary 🔗 Learn more about #RightsIndex26: ituc-csi.org/global-rights-i…

As the International Labour Conference prepares to begin negotiations this week on a proposed international labour standard on platform work, @EquidemOrg's @r_nepal writes on why the voices of migrant workers must be at the centre of the debate. Read here: lnkd.in/gnrsKxXg

As the International Labour Conference prepares to begin negotiations next week on a proposed international labour standard on platform work, Rameshwar Nepal from Equidem writes on why the voices of migrant workers must be at the centre of the debate. Across South Asia, millions of workers migrate for work, including to the Gulf, where they are increasingly part of the digital and platform economy. But their working conditions are often shaped not only by platforms, but also by: 🔹 recruitment agents 🔹 subcontractors 🔹 migration systems 🔹 weak cross-border accountability for employers This is why governments in South Asia, as countries of origin, have an important role to play in the ILC negotiations, he argues. They must help ensure that any future standard on platform work addresses the realities of migrant workers, including third-party control, recruitment debt, and the cross-border accountability of platform companies. The platform economy cannot be allowed to deepen the invisibility of migrant workers. The ILC negotiations are an important opportunity to ensure that migrant workers’ rights are not left behind. Read Rameshwar’s piece here: english.onlinekhabar.com/nep… #PlatformWork #ILC2026 #MigrantWorkers #DecentWork #LabourRights #DigitalEconomy #Equidem

Extreme heat is no longer a future risk for workers. It is already shaping the everyday reality of work. This @guardian story captures what millions of workers across Asia are experiencing: long hours in dangerous temperatures, exhaustion, lost wages, poor sleep, and the inability to recover before the next workday begins. For delivery riders, street vendors, construction workers, garment workers, and other informal and low-wage workers, heat is not just a climate issue. It is an occupational safety and health crisis, an income crisis, and a crisis created by the lack of corporate accountability. Heat does not become dangerous on its own. It becomes dangerous because of the conditions in which workers are forced to work. Governments, companies, and employers across sectors must address this urgently. There is no more time to wait. We need immediate protections for workers already facing dangerous heat, and long-term solutions that put worker health, income, and dignity at the centre of climate response and just transition. To read Equidem’s recommendations on addressing the climate crisis in workplaces and protecting workers from extreme heat, read here: equidem.org/wp-content/uploa… theguardian.com/world/2026/m…

A recent article published by MRRORS raises deeply concerning allegations of arbitrary detention, religious profiling, torture, and deportation of Pakistani migrant workers in UAE amid escalating regional tensions. It is deeply disturbing to see low-wage migrant workers — many of whom have spent years building homes, businesses, and entire cities in the Gulf — being deported in such a discriminatory and dehumanising manner, without recognition of their dignity, humanity, or their immense contributions to the region’s economies and societies. At a time of growing geopolitical instability, migrant workers must not become targets of collective punishment, surveillance, or discrimination based on religious identity, migrant status, or nationality. The allegations outlined in this investigation demand immediate attention. Governments, international institutions, and human rights bodies must urgently ensure that migrant workers are protected from arbitrary detention, abuse, and discriminatory deportation practices, and that due process and fundamental human rights are upheld for all. mrrors.org/2026/05/detained-…

📢 This new report from @hrw “Algorithms of Exploitation,” documents the experiences of platform workers across India, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mexico, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the United Kingdom. The report once again highlights deeply concerning patterns emerging across platform economies: low and unpredictable pay, opaque algorithmic management, unpaid waiting time, unsafe working conditions, arbitrary suspensions and deactivations, and limited access to social protection. As governments, employers, and worker representatives prepare to negotiate international standards on platform work at the International Labour Organization (ILO) this June, this research is yet another important reminder of the urgent need for stronger protections and greater corporate accountability in the platform economy. 📄 Don’t miss this important report hrw.org/feature/2026/05/13/a…

Equidem raises serious concerns over Meta’s evasion of corporate accountability in Kenya Over 1,100 workers in Nairobi have been laid off following Meta’s decision to cut ties with its contractor, Sama, raising serious concerns about corporate accountability in global AI supply chains. These layoffs come at a critical moment, after Kenyan courts ruled that cases brought by content moderators against Meta could proceed to trial — a landmark step toward justice. Instead of engaging with these findings, Meta has exited, leaving workers to bear the cost. We’ve seen this pattern repeatedly: when workers in the Global South organise against Global North–based multinationals, companies restructure, exit, or shift jurisdictions to avoid accountability. The speed and scale of Meta’s response, combined with the growing structural power of AI companies, makes this moment particularly significant. Equidem calls on: 🔴 Meta and Sama to ensure that all redundancies are carried out in full compliance with Kenyan labour law, including proper notice, consultation, and adequate severance. Both companies must also take responsibility for the working conditions and harms experienced by content moderators, and commit to supply chain arrangements that do not systematically transfer risk onto workers. 🔴 The Government of Kenya to urgently investigate potential violations and to uphold its duty to protect workers whose labour underpins the country’s role in the global technology economy. 🔴 The international community to stand with these workers and their advocates who have fought alongside them against immense odds at this critical moment, and to move toward binding frameworks that ensure corporate accountability for lead firms across global supply chains. The workers who brought these cases have shown extraordinary courage. Our solidarity is with them. Read full statement : equidem.org/mass-layoffs-in-…

In a recent interview with SRF - Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen, Deepika Thapaliya from Equidem discusses the impact of the Middle East conflict on migrant workers in the region. She underscores a critical point: the crisis has, in significant ways, intensified and made more visible pre-existing structural inequalities embedded within labour migration systems in the Gulf — including restrictive frameworks such as the kafala system, poor implementation of labour rights, and the absence of effective trade union protections for migrant workers. 🎧 Listen to the podcast: srf.ch/audio/echo-der-zeit/i… Equidem has also issued a statement on protecting migrant workers in the context of this conflict, based on rapid investigation findings from conversations with 44 migrant workers across six Gulf countries — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait. The statement sets out urgent, coordinated actions required from employers, governments, and embassies to safeguard workers during the crisis, alongside longer-term reforms needed to address root causes and prevent the recurrence of such harms. 🔗 Read the statement: equidem.org/reports/protect-… #MigrantWorkers #MiddleEast #LabourRights #HumanRights

In a new op-ed, Eiffel Abedin from Equidem writes for Migration Concern on the realities faced by South Asian migrant workers in the Gulf, working as delivery riders. Drawing on our report, 'Free to Be Exploited', he highlights how these workers are often forced to take on debt just to access jobs in the Gulf — only to then face wage theft, punishing delivery targets, and conditions that, in many cases, mirror indicators of forced labour. As we approach the International Labour Conference, it is critical that the voices and experiences of migrant platform workers are heard and that they shape the protections and agreements being developed. 🔗 Read the article: migrationconcern.com/opinion… 🔗 Read our report Free to Be Exploited: equidem.org/reports/free-to-…

Migrant workers make up the majority of the population across Gulf states, yet their lives and deaths in the current regional war remain largely undocumented. Equidem is proud to stand alongside the Coalition on Labor Justice for Migrants in the Gulf, which has launched a critical public record: a centralized, verified database documenting migrant workers killed since the escalation of conflict in late February 2026. This record is not just a list. It is an act of dignity — honouring workers whose lives too often go unacknowledged by governments, employers, and the media. We know the harm extends far beyond death: forced displacement, injuries, unpaid wages, severed remittances, and profound psychological trauma for workers and their families. If you would like to contribute to this record, please reach out. 🔗 laborjusticegulfmigrants.org…

⭕  Equidem launches a new investigative report: 'Free to be Exploited' One of the report’s key findings is the widespread use of third-party logistics firms (3PLs) in the Gulf’s delivery sector. Instead of hiring riders directly, major food delivery platforms rely on these intermediary companies to recruit and employ workers. On paper, this means the platform is not the rider’s employer. In practice, however, the platform’s app controls almost every aspect of the job, assigning deliveries, tracking location, setting performance targets, and determining pay. This creates an accountability gap: 📱 Platforms control the work 📄 3PLs carry the legal responsibility 🚴 Riders are left with little protection when problems arise When workers raise concerns, about sick leave, wages, safety, or unfair penalties, they are often sent back and forth between the platform and the 3PL, with each pointing to the other. Read the report: equidem.org/reports/free-to-…

🚨 JUST LAUNCHED Today, Equidem launches a new investigative report: Free to be Exploited. The report presents findings from a year-long investigation into the labour conditions facing migrant delivery riders across the Gulf — workers who power platforms such as Deliveroo, Talabat, HungerStation, and Careem, yet remain largely invisible to those placing orders. 📊 Key findings include: • 99% of riders were hired through third-party logistics firms (3PLs), allowing platform companies to avoid direct legal responsibility • 70% of workers paid recruitment fees despite legal prohibitions • More than half went into debt to secure these jobs • Nearly half reported passport confiscation, restricting their ability to leave or return home • 42% experienced conditions consistent with indicators of forced labour • 32% reported working seven days a week with no rest day 📄 Read the full report:equidem.org/reports/free-to-… 🎥 LAUNCH WEBINAR HAPPENING NOW: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi…

🚨 New Statement Alert As the crisis in the Middle East escalates, Equidem is issuing a statement based on rapid investigation findings from conversations with 44 migrant workers across six Gulf countries. The statement: ⚠️ Documents the immediate impacts on migrant workers’ safety, livelihoods, and well-being ⚠️ Highlights long-standing structural failures in labour governance systems that have intensified the impacts of the current crisis on migrant workers 🚨 Sets out immediate demands for employers, governments, and embassies to ensure the safety of migrant workers 🚨 Outlines longer-term reforms needed to address root causes and prevent recurring harm With immediate protection and meaningful structural reform, a different future is possible for migrant workers in the Gulf — one in which they are not treated as expendable in times of crisis, but recognised as essential and fully entitled to safety, dignity, and rights. 👉 Read the full statement now : equidem.org/reports/protect-…

Equidem is launching its new report, "Free To Be Exploited: The Abuse of Platform-Based Food Delivery Riders in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates." Drawing on extensive interviews with migrant riders working for major delivery platforms, the report examines how outsourcing to third-party logistics companies, combined with restrictive migration systems, creates conditions in which workers face serious labour and human rights abuses. The research documents patterns of exploitation, including debt-driven recruitment, wage theft, and dangerous working conditions, as well as the significant barriers that prevent workers from raising complaints or accessing justice. These findings raise urgent questions about accountability in the global platform economy and how meaningful oversight can be enforced in this rapidly expanding sector. To mark the report’s release, Equidem will host a webinar on 13 April 2026. This online presentation will include a panel discussion and explore the report’s key findings and their broader implications. The panel will feature: - Ruwan Subasinghe, Legal Director at the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) -Lena Simet, Ph.D. Simet, Senior Researcher and Advocate on Poverty and Inequality at Human Rights Watch (HRW) -Raul Dumont, Platform Delivery Rider and Organiser -Dr Shikha Silliman Bhattacharjee, Research, Policy and Innovation at Equidem - Jason Nemerovski, Resaercher, Equidem Register today to join the conversation. us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi…

🚨 New Report Launch Webinar As war and geopolitical tensions continue to unfold across the Middle East, migrant workers are once again on the frontlines of risk. As widely reported in global media, delivery riders are navigating dangerous conditions, rising insecurity, and, in some cases, even death. But the factors that have created this precarity run much deeper. They are rooted in structural systems that have long made, and continue to make, migrant platform workers expendable. 📢 Equidem’s new report, Free To Be Exploited: The Abuse of Platform-Based Delivery Riders in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, examines: • The lived realities of delivery riders on the ground • The gaps in protection, regulation, and accountability • What must urgently change to ensure dignity, safety, and justice for workers 🗓 Join the report launch webinar 📅 13 April 2026 ⏰ 14:00 GMT Hear directly from a delivery rider, alongside researchers and trade union leaders working to drive meaningful change. 🔗 Register now: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi… #LabourRights #PlatformEconomy #MigrantWorkers #HumanRights #DecentWork

CDTD joined Equidem and key partners in Nairobi for a landmark workshop on Advancing Justice & Dignity in the Care Economy. The session brought together stakeholders to tackle the real challenges faced by East African migrant care and domestic workers, from recruitment and transit to employment and reintegration. Together, they co-created a strategic roadmap to strengthen protections, close rights gaps, and build a movement that ensures safety, justice, and dignity for every care worker. @EquidemOrg #CareWorkersRights #MigrantJustice #DomesticWorkers #SafeMigration

Equidem is organising a co-creation workshop: Advancing Justice and Dignity in the Care Economy On 26 February 2026 in Nairobi, worker and survivor leaders, advocates, policymakers, funders, and researchers will come together to shape solutions for decent work in care and domestic work across migration corridors from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In an ageing world increasingly dependent on care labour, African care workers sustain households and economies across borders — yet many still face unsafe recruitment, debt, isolation, and limited access to remedy. Change is urgent. This workshop is different: workers and survivors are not participants being consulted, but partners co-creating recommendations alongside civil society, governments, and funders. We will focus on: • strengthening protection across migration pathways • improving accountability in recruitment and employment systems • centering worker and survivor voice in policy and practice • identifying concrete actions for governments, employers, and civil society Join online and listen in on the conversation: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi… If you are a worker, survivor, or part of civil society, government, business, or research communities and would like to attend, please write to us at info@equidem.org. #CareEconomy #MigrantWorkers #WorkerVoice #SurvivorLeadership #DecentWork #LabourRights #Migration