Senior Advisor @hrw on Economic Justice | PhD @TheNewSchool | Cities & Inequality in Latin America @routledgebooks
New York, USA
Joined November 2014
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1/ After nearly 3 years of research, our @hrw report The Gig Trap is finally out. It documents how companies like @Uber @lyft @DoorDash @Instacart @Shipt @Amazon Flex built a business model that undermines labor rights & deepens inequality in the US. A 🧵hrw.org/node/391214
Lena Simet retweeted
The experience of platform workers offers a cautionary tale. For millions of “gig workers” worldwide, algorithms, including AI systems, already act as the boss, writes @LenaSimet of @hrw. commondreams.org/opinion/wor…
Lena Simet retweeted
Today at the #IMFWorldBank2026 #AM2026Thailand #IMFmeetings
Maree, a platform worker (Rider) from Thailand made a moving, tearful presentation using her lived experience as a rider to shade light on the dangers with automated systems of work including violence without accountability from employers. She was attacked while on duty but could not access any support from her platform.
AI is being presented as a solution to deliver more jobs but the reality for workers is not as promised. Maree represents millions of platform workers who are at risk due to this technological revolution. The reality is that all risks sit with the worker. Risks like accidents, maintenance, insurance etc. The working conditions are characterised by poor pay, no access to information, no social security contributions.
Ghassan AlDaoud from @ArabReform_ARI referred to research done in Lebanon where six platforms scored zero on every decent work principle i.e. pay, conditions, contracts. This is not different from what is happening in Uganda.
@LenaSimet from @hrw provided some hope with the ILO Convention No. 193 normlex.ilo.org/dyn/nrmlx_en…, the first international labor standard dedicated to the platform economy and establishes safeguards on algorithmic management, employment status, freedom of association, and social security.
This panel presented a challenge to the different stakeholders to cautiously embrace AI while being mindful of the associated violations that are already manifesting and the need to hold the owners of the multinational companies accountable.
@anabwowe
Lena Simet retweeted
Cutting WIC funding isn’t just a budget decision—it’s a decision about women’s and children’s health.
Millions of pregnant and breastfeeding women, and young children rely on this support for basic nutrition during some of the most critical stages of life.hrw.org/news/2026/06/16/us-a…
Lena Simet retweeted
The Gig Economy Project newsletter is out!
The @ilo made history last week when it agreed a labour standard on platform work for the first time.
How was it formed & what will its consequences be around the world?
Read here: eomail5.com/web-version?p=da…
#ILC2026 #ILO #PlatformWork
Lena Simet retweeted
A historic move for labor rights! Last week, a new ILO Convention on decent work in the platform economy was adopted by the International Labour Conference. The vote was 406 to 8, with 36 abstentions.
The adoption of this Convention is a landmark moment, and it now needs to be translated into real changes in workers’ lives.
Read more about the landmark treaty: bit.ly/4vdaAWG
🌏 A historic day for labor rights! At @ilo's #ILC2026, workers, govts & employers voted overwhelmingly to adopt Convention 193, the 1st global treaty on platform work. A major step toward rights for workers managed through apps & algorithms. hrw.org/news/2026/06/12/ilo-…
Apps & algorithms shouldn't be tools for evading workers’ rights. As governments negotiate the 1st🌍 global treaty on platform work, they should close loopholes + adopt strong protections for all gig workers.
Lena Simet retweeted
✊ Gig workers deserve rights, not loopholes.
This week and next, governments, workers, and employers are negotiating the first global treaty on decent work in the platform economy.
They should adopt strong standards to protect all platform workers’ rights.
#ILC2026 #WorkersRights
Lena Simet retweeted
If a business model works only because it evades workers’ rights, that is an argument for regulation, not against it, write @LenaSimet and Anna Bacciarelliof @hrw. commondreams.org/opinion/lab…
If a business model works only because it evades workers’ rights, it's an argument for regulation, not against it.
@a_bacci & I wrote about AI, gig work, & why govts negotiating a new @ilo standard need to act before exploitation becomes the blueprint: fpif.org/ai-runs-the-global-…
Lena Simet retweeted
It's estimated that “gig” or “platform” work grew by 90 percent between 2016 and 2020. Yet labor protections for those workers have not kept up.
In a new report, HRW documents the experiences of platform workers across nine countries, and urges governments to adopt strong standards to protect workers ⤵️
Lena Simet retweeted
Tratado laboral de la OIT debe proteger a todos los trabajadores de plataformas
“Las empresas de plataformas han generado un modelo de negocios que elude las protecciones laborales y traslada los riesgos y costos a los trabajadores” @LenaSimet @hrw
hrw.org/es/news/2026/05/13/t…
🚨New @hrw report comes as govts prepare to negotiate 1st global treaty on platform work at @ilo.
Across 9 countries workers describe low + unpredictable pay, opaque algorithms, safety risks & little/no social security. A thread🧵hrw.org/feature/2026/05/13/a…
6/ In India, Ravi broke his arm in a crash while rushing to complete a delivery under tight time pressure. He paid his own medical costs. The platform provided no support. “We don’t get anything from the company.”
7/ The @ilo negotiations are a landmark opportunity to set global standards for platform work: fair pay, safe conditions, social security, algorithmic transparency & the right to organize.
The future of work should protect workers’ rights, not undermine them.
