Uganda’s digital workers get a lifeline

For thousands of Ugandans, work no longer begins in an office or factory.

It starts with a smartphone. A boda rider waiting for the next trip request. A delivery driver tracking an order. A freelance graphic designer searching for clients online. A small trader selling products through a digital marketplace.

Across Uganda, platform-based work has quietly become one of the fastest-growing sources of income, especially for young people navigating a difficult job market. Now, a landmark decision taken in Geneva could reshape how that work is regulated, protected and valued.

Uganda has returned from the 114th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) with a new challenge: preparing its labour laws for a rapidly evolving digital economy after the adoption of the world’s first international labour standard governing platform work.

The convention, adopted during the June 1–12 conference organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), establishes global standards for people who earn a living through digital platforms such as ride-hailing services, delivery apps, freelance marketplaces and e-commerce platforms.

For Uganda, the timing is significant. Digital platforms have become increasingly important employers, particularly for young people. Services such as SafeBoda, Uber, Bolt and Glovo have created new income opportunities, while online marketplaces including Upwork, Fiverr, Jumia and Kikuubo have expanded access to customers and jobs that were previously out of reach.

But the rapid growth of the platform economy has also exposed a difficult question: when people work through apps and algorithms, who protects their rights? The newly adopted Convention on Decent Work in the Platform Economy seeks to answer that question.

It establishes standards on employment status, fair pay, workplace safety, non-discrimination, social security protection and personal data rights. It also requires platform companies to be more transparent about how their algorithms assign work, evaluate performance and impose sanctions on workers.

For many workers, these issues are far from theoretical. A driver suspended from an app may not know why. A delivery worker may have little understanding of how jobs are allocated.

A freelancer can find income disappearing because of decisions made by automated systems. The convention aims to bring greater transparency and accountability to these increasingly common workplace realities. Uganda’s delegation to Geneva was led by Ambassador Robert Marcel Tibaleka, the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva.

Addressing the conference, Tibaleka reaffirmed Uganda’s commitment to decent work and international labour standards while highlighting progress in labour legislation and employment policy.

The conference was about more than digital work alone. Delegates also adopted measures advancing gender equality in the workplace and strengthening social dialogue between governments, employers and workers during periods of economic transition. Uganda played an active role in those discussions, representing African perspectives on labour reform and workplace governance.

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