Towards a collective voice for platform workers: Trade union and youth-led innovative strategies for evidence-based policy advocacy in India

New Delhi (ILO News) – Trade unions across India have taken a significant step toward strengthening collective action, agreeing to establish a National Joint Forum for Platform Workers at a two-day workshop organized by the International Labour Organization’s Bureau for Workers’ Activities (ILO-ACTRAV).

Held in Hyderabad on 26–27 November 2025, the workshop brought together Central Trade Unions (CTUs) and emerging platform-worker organizations, particularly youth leaders, to address the decent work challenges in a rapidly expanding platform economy and prepare for the 2026 International Labour Conference (ILC), where global standard setting on decent work in the platform economy will take place.

The workshop was opened by Mr Satoshi Sasaki, Deputy Director of the ILO DWT for South Asia and Country Office for India, who highlighted the importance of unity, evidence-based advocacy, and strengthened representation for emerging categories of workers.

The event also benefited from the active participation of ILO colleagues from Geneva, Delhi and Bangkok, whose inputs helped enrich discussions on international trends, comparative experiences, and policy pathways—making the technical sessions more informative and relevant for participants.

A major outcome of the workshop was the joint decision to create a national coordination mechanism that will bring CTUs and independent platform-worker unions under one umbrella. Participating leaders have begun drafting the Terms of Reference for this new platform, envisioning it as a sustained space for joint advocacy, technical exchange, and collective proposals on issues such as legal recognition, social protection, and dispute resolution.

The workshop also emphasized the need for stronger analytical foundations within the trade union movement. Through dedicated sessions on macroeconomic literacy, participants explored how fiscal policy, inflation, informality, productivity, and public investment shape wages, employment, and social-protection outcomes. Union leaders unanimously recognized that evidence-based policy advocacy is essential for influencing national reforms and ensuring that workers’ perspectives are reflected in policy decisions. Strengthening economic expertise—particularly among youth leaders—was identified as a key priority.

Addressing the workshop in the closing session, Mr Oliver Röpke, the new Director of ILO-ACTRAV, praised the delegates for their commitment and collective spirit. “This workshop marks one of my first opportunities to engage with India’s union leadership, and I am deeply encouraged by the unity demonstrated here,” he said. “Your agreement to establish the Working Group on the Platform Economy is a milestone—not only for national coordination but also for strengthening India’s contribution to the 2026 ILC standard-setting process.”

Mr Röpke also noted the importance of the macroeconomic session: “Across all regions, unions are expanding their economic expertise because national policies—budgets, taxation, and social-protection financing—affect workers profoundly. Your commitment to building this capacity will significantly strengthen your advocacy.”

He further reaffirmed ILO-ACTRAV’s continued support: “We stand ready to accompany your efforts to organise platform workers, enhance analytical capacity, and present united, evidence-based proposals at national, state and international levels.”

The workshop concluded with a shared pledge to deepen coordination, strengthen youth leadership, and collectively advance decent work for India’s rapidly growing platform workforce.

For more information, please contact:

Yuki Otsuji
Specialist in Workers’ Activities
ILO Decent Work Team/Country Office, New Delhi
Email: [email protected]

Sudipta Bhadra
Senior Programme Officer
ILO Decent Work Team/Country Office, New Delhi
Email: [email protected]