2 min read325 words
Convention No. 193, adopted by the International Labour Conference on 12 June 2026, is the first binding international labour standard to directly address algorithmic management. It requires platforms to be transparent about automated decisions affecting workers — such as account suspensions — and to provide access to human review, rather than treating an algorithm's decision as final.
What counts as algorithmic management under the Convention
Algorithmic management refers to the use of automated systems and algorithms to allocate work, evaluate performance, determine pay, and decide account suspensions or deactivations. The Convention establishes safeguards specifically for this kind of automated decision-making.
The core requirement: transparency and human review
Platform workers affected by an algorithmic decision, such as an account suspension, are entitled to understand the basis for it and to have it reviewed, rather than simply accepting an automated outcome as final. This sets an international floor: workers should not be worse off, in terms of transparency and recourse, simply because the decision affecting their livelihood was made by a system rather than a person.
Does this apply in Kenya today?
Convention No. 193 has not yet been ratified by Kenya, and ratification and domestic implementing legislation are both separate, typically slower steps. But it establishes a clear international benchmark that clients, investors and workers are increasingly likely to reference, regardless of binding domestic force.
Frequently asked questions
- What is ILO Convention No. 193?
- The Decent Work in the Platform Economy Convention, adopted 12 June 2026 at the 114th International Labour Conference — the first binding international labour standard for platform and gig economy work.
- Does Convention No. 193 apply in Kenya?
- Not yet. It requires ratification by member states and domestic implementing legislation before it carries direct legal force in any specific country, including Kenya.
- What rights does it give platform workers regarding algorithms?
- Transparency about when and how automated systems are used, and access to a mechanism for reviewing an automated decision, such as an account suspension.
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This article is general legal information, not legal advice, and does not create a lawyer–client relationship.