Silvia Pugi on ILO Talks: “Norms That Seem Distant Are Closer Than We Think”
The United Nations has a dedicated agency for the world of work, the ILO – International Labour Organization – mandated to define international rules to promote decent and productive work.
These rules are then adopted and incorporated into national laws by its 187 member states.
The ILO’s annual conference in Geneva took place on 13 June, with decisions that will have direct impacts on labour policies and businesses:
“A common regulatory approach will help bring much-needed clarity, not only for workers but also for companies striving to compete fairly in the digital economy”
Said CEC European Managers Deputy Secretary General Silvia Pugi, who attended the Conference and voiced the European leaders’ point of view.
According to Pugi, “major steps were taken” at the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) annual conference, where representatives from governments, employers, and workers’ organisations gathered to shape the future of global labour policies.
The latest ILO developments could redefine the responsibilities of companies operating in today’s rapidly evolving labour markets.
From regulating platform work to new biological risk standards and more substantial commitments to formalising informal labour, the agenda was packed with long-term implications.
A Global Framework for Platform Work on the Horizon
A highlight of the conference was the progress toward regulating digital platform work — a sector that includes food delivery companies, freelancing platforms, and global giants like Amazon and Airbnb.
Platform work is perhaps one of the most challenging new sectors for CEC’s claim on the right to a human manager. In that regard, the European Union approved the Platform Workers Directive in October 2024 (see the text here).
This managerial shift (read “Europe’s Platform Worker Directive: A Managerial Shift” article here [+]) addresses key concerns in platform-based work, focusing on worker classification, algorithmic accountability, data protection and oversight, and cross-border harmonization.
The International Labour Organisation is working on a potential international framework that could be adopted as early as 2026, aimed at ensuring fairer working conditions for gig workers.
The envisioned regulations would introduce clearer rules on employer contributions, minimum wages, and trade union rights.
“This development is of particular interest to managers, who often find themselves navigating the challenges of hybrid business models,” explained Silvia Pugi.
New Safety Standards for Biological Risks
Another milestone was the adoption of a new international convention on biological hazards in the workplace.
This legally binding instrument will require companies across sectors to reassess their risk management frameworks and update safety procedures to align with international health and safety standards.
“Managers will need to lead this adaptation process within organisations, ensuring compliance and safeguarding their teams,” Pugi added. “It’s a call to update internal policies proactively, rather than reactively.”
Toward a Formal Economy and Responsible Supply Chains
The conference also reaffirmed the ILO’s commitment to the global transition from informal to formal employment — an issue particularly relevant in developing economies and within complex supply chains.
With the new emphasis on corporate due diligence and social responsibility, companies will face increasing pressure to verify employment standards at every level of their operations.
This is not just about legal compliance. It’s also about brand reputation, investor confidence, and sustainable competitiveness.
Silvia Pugi
Social Justice and the Role of Business
Silvia Pugi also participated in the Global Coalition for Social Justice forum, a high-level initiative launched by the ILO to promote multilateral cooperation on inclusive development.
The forum addressed topics such as a living wage, a just ecological transition, and the role of businesses in promoting social cohesion.
“These discussions remind us that companies are not just economic actors but societal ones too,” she said. “Managers can be the bridge between social goals and business practices.”
A Message to Companies: Anticipate, Don’t Wait
Reflecting on her longstanding engagement with the ILO, Pugi noted the slow pace at which international labour standards tend to be adopted into national legislation. “The process may seem slow — and it often is — but these rules do eventually become binding. The question for companies is whether they want to wait or take the lead.”
For CEC European Managers, the message is clear: proactive compliance with emerging standards is not just about staying ahead of regulation — it’s a strategic opportunity to strengthen corporate integrity and social value.
Transition to the Formal Economy
There is renewed commitment to promoting the shift from informal (uncontracted or irregular) to formal work.
For businesses, this translates into growing scrutiny of employment regularity throughout the supply chain, with an emphasis on supply chain due diligence and corporate social responsibility.
ILO Convention 192 on the Prevention and Protection Against Biological Hazards in the Working Environment
Convention 192 establishes an international framework to protect the health and safety of workers exposed to biological hazards.
“Biological hazards” include all microorganisms, cells or cell cultures, endoparasites or non-cellular microbiological entities, including genetically modified ones, and related allergens and toxins, as well as allergens, toxins, and irritants of plant or animal origin, when exposure is related to work activities and could harm human health.
The convention applies to all sectors and all workers, and imposes a series of obligations on companies:
1. Prevention and Risk Assessment
Companies must ensure that work environments under their control are free from health and safety risks due to biological hazards, adopting all necessary preventive and protective measures.
Companies must conduct biological risk assessments, establishing appropriate systems to carry out, review, and update these assessments, involving workers and their representatives.
2. Control and Protection Measures
Companies must eliminate biological hazards where possible; if not, they must control and minimize the risks.
Companies must provide, maintain, and replace appropriate personal protective equipment free of charge, along with training on its use.
It is mandatory to regularly monitor the work environment and workers’ health to detect biological risks and their effects early.
3. Information, Training, and Engagement
Companies must provide information, instructions, and training on biological risks and prevention measures to managers, supervisors, workers, and their representatives during working hours.
All workers must be informed about the risks and prevention measures before starting hazardous activities, when work methods or materials change, and periodically.
4. Emergency Management
Companies must establish preparedness and response plans and procedures for accidents, emergencies, and outbreaks of communicable diseases.
5. Collaboration and Supervision
When multiple companies operate in the same location, collaboration is mandatory to ensure all workers’ safety from biological hazards, without affecting each employer’s responsibility toward their own employees.
Companies must supervise work processes and regularly review the effectiveness of implemented measures, including the availability of personal protective equipment.
6. Investigation and Recordkeeping
It is mandatory to investigate incidents, occupational diseases, and other hazardous events related to biological risks, identify causes, and adopt measures to prevent recurrence, in collaboration with safety committees or workers’ representatives.
National parliaments should now adopt this convention.
Global Coalition for Social Justice Forum
During the conference, the Global Coalition for Social Justice forum also took place—an initiative aimed at strengthening multilateral cooperation to promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Discussions focused on minimum wages, a fair ecological transition and the role of businesses in creating inclusive societies.
I have participated in the ILO’s work for years and always have the same thought: ILO activity seems slow, and the discussions held in Geneva take years to become law… but eventually, they do!
Silvia Pugi
It is now up to companies to decide whether to wait for the new rules or to anticipate them, turning them into a distinguishing factor and a way to enhance corporate reputation.
