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CDTD joined Equidem and key partners in Nairobi for a landmark workshop on Advancing Justice & Dignity in the Care Economy. The session brought together stakeholders to tackle the real challenges faced by East African migrant care and domestic workers, from recruitment and transit to employment and reintegration. Together, they co-created a strategic roadmap to strengthen protections, close rights gaps, and build a movement that ensures safety, justice, and dignity for every care worker. @EquidemOrg #CareWorkersRights #MigrantJustice #DomesticWorkers #SafeMigration

Equidem is organising a co-creation workshop: Advancing Justice and Dignity in the Care Economy On 26 February 2026 in Nairobi, worker and survivor leaders, advocates, policymakers, funders, and researchers will come together to shape solutions for decent work in care and domestic work across migration corridors from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In an ageing world increasingly dependent on care labour, African care workers sustain households and economies across borders — yet many still face unsafe recruitment, debt, isolation, and limited access to remedy. Change is urgent. This workshop is different: workers and survivors are not participants being consulted, but partners co-creating recommendations alongside civil society, governments, and funders. We will focus on: • strengthening protection across migration pathways • improving accountability in recruitment and employment systems • centering worker and survivor voice in policy and practice • identifying concrete actions for governments, employers, and civil society Join online and listen in on the conversation: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regist… If you are a worker, survivor, or part of civil society, government, business, or research communities and would like to attend, please write to us at info@equidem.org. #CareEconomy #MigrantWorkers #WorkerVoice #SurvivorLeadership #DecentWork #LabourRights #Migration

Recent newspaper coverage noted that nearly one in four Super Bowl advertisements either promoted AI products or used AI-generated content. The speed with which AI is being normalised in public culture contrasts with the limited attention given to the labour conditions that underpin these AI systems. Equidem’s research on AI supply chains, including 'Scroll. Click. Suffer.', points to two recurring gaps in mainstream debates: 🔴 the workers who train, moderate, and label AI systems, often working under poor conditions and bound by non-disclosure agreements that prevent them from speaking about the psychological harms of content moderation and data labelling 🔴 workplace impacts when AI is deployed without safeguards, including surveillance, constraints on organising, and reduced worker autonomy These concerns indicate that technological development and labour regulation cannot be treated as separate domains: the social infrastructure of AI is inseparable from its technical infrastructure. Where labour conditions remain unaddressed, risks do not disappear — they are displaced into hidden workforces, informal arrangements, and weaker regulatory contexts. Further reading: Adweek coverage on AI ads during Superbowl - adweek.com/brand-marketin… Scroll. Click. Suffer. (Equidem) - equidem.org/reports/scroll… AI : Principles to Protect Workers (AFL-CIO) - aflcio.org/reports/worker… #AI #DigitalLabour #HumanRights #ResponsibleAI

This @business investigation on the Bangladesh–Malaysia migration corridor is a useful reminder that many labour risks in supply chains originate upstream: in recruitment systems, licensing regimes, and migration governance,  rather than only at the worksite. Across its research, @EquidemOrg has observed similar dynamics in migration pathways to the Middle East from South Asia and Africa: workers often enter employment already shaped by recruitment fees, debt obligations, and restricted mobility. By the time workplace due diligence begins, vulnerability has effectively been structured into the employment relationship. The implication is methodological as much as ethical. If risk assessment focuses only on factories, farms, or warehouses, it misses where coercion is frequently produced -- in hiring pathways and labour market intermediation. Read the article: bloomberg.com/features/2026-… #LabourMigration #HumanRightsDueDiligence #SupplyChains

🌍 Strengthening Labour Migration Governance in the Nepal–Gulf Corridor Millions of Nepali workers migrate to GCC countries each year, yet gaps in migration governance continue to expose them to exploitation and rights abuses. Earlier this month, Equidem participated in a multi-stakeholder dialogue on strengthening labour migration governance in the Nepal–Gulf corridor, bringing together representatives from government, civil society, trade unions, human rights institutions, and the private sector. 🎤 Rameshwar Nepal (Equidem) presented a context-setting analysis examining: Current labour migration dynamics between Nepal and GCC countries Persistent governance gaps in recruitment, employment contracts, and access to remedy Structural risks faced by migrant workers, including excessive recruitment fees, deception, discrimination, and weak social protection Opportunities to strengthen protections through rights-based, ethical recruitment frameworks aligned with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) 🗣️ Rameshwar also moderated a panel discussion on promoting safe and regular migration pathways, facilitating a rich exchange between government officials, human rights institutions, civil society organisations, and worker representatives. Key themes emerging from the dialogue included: ✔️ Expanding and strengthening bilateral labour agreements (BLAs) ✔️ Addressing the unintended harms of migration bans, particularly for women workers ✔️ Improving regulation of recruitment practices and migration-related costs ✔️ Strengthening access to remedy and social protection across borders ✔️ Building stronger collaboration between states, employers, and worker-led organisations 📄 Watch this space - A policy brief with actionable recommendations will be developed as an outcome of the dialogue. Equidem will continue to work with partners to translate these discussions into concrete policy reforms and accountability mechanisms that improve protections for Nepali migrant workers across the Nepal–Gulf corridor.

📝 New blog from Equidem CEO Mustafa Qadri: To Defend Democracy, Defend Labour In this powerful new piece, Mustafa reflects on two recent Equidem-hosted events, one during the UN General Assembly and the other at the ETUC Platforum, and makes a compelling argument: 🛠️ Reviving democracy requires investing in workers’ rights, rebuilding the institutions that protect them, and resisting the corporate capture of our political and economic systems. He outlines three urgent reasons why: 🔹 Workplaces are democracy’s training ground When workers are empowered to speak up, organise, and bargain collectively, they gain the voice and power needed to participate meaningfully in democratic life. 🔹 Authoritarians fear organised labour Trade unions are often the first targets of authoritarian regimes—because organised workers are one of the few forces capable of holding state and corporate power to account. 🔹 The future is already being built From green energy to AI, our economies are being reshaped now. If labour rights aren’t embedded from the start, we risk entrenching systems of exploitation that will define the next generation’s working lives. 📖 Read the full blog → 🔗 equidem.org/to-defend-demo… #LabourRights #Democracy #HumanRights #JustTransition #FOA #UNGA #ETUC #Equidem

🚨 The future of platform work is being written and we must get it right. @EquidemOrg has joined civil society allies in submitting detailed comments to the ILO on the draft Convention and Recommendation on decent work in the platform economy (Brown Report). We welcome the Committee’s decision to move forward with binding standards but the current draft leaves too many gaps. 📣 We urge the adoption of a robust Convention and Recommendation that: 📌Covers all platform workers, regardless of contractual form, and recognises platforms’ role in organising work; 📌Establishes a legal presumption of employment to combat misclassification; 📌Introduces joint and several liability across intermediaries; 📌Places direct, binding obligations on platforms for transparency, fair remuneration (including waiting time), occupational health and safety, data rights, and grievance systems; 📌Secures freedom of association and collective bargaining, including protection from algorithmic retaliation; 📌Guarantees equal protection for women, migrants, and refugee workers; and 📌Ensures effective dispute resolution and enforcement, including access to courts and remedies, with no forced arbitration. Without these changes, the Convention risks entrenching exploitative business models instead of regulating them. ❗️ The deadline to submit feedback to the ILO on the Brown report is November 14. If you’re a CSO, trade union, or government body, please share your feedback now, the more voices that speak up, the stronger this Convention can become. 🔗 Read our full joint statement: equidem.org/joint-civil-so… #ILO #BrownReport #DecentWork #GigEconomy #PlatformWork #LabourRights #FOA #AI #Equidem #CSO #Union #FairWork

Loved interviewing @EquidemOrg for yesterday's episode of The Standard @theLDNstandard on the dark truth behind Dubai. With thousands of Londoners flocking to the Middle East city each year - what lies beneath the wealth and glamour? podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/why…

📢 “If I wear your company’s shirt, follow your algorithm, follow your behaviour metrics, and you pay me — then you are my employer. Don’t call me a freelancer.” In our latest interview, Winston Kelly, a former rider, rider captain, and Chair of the Foodora Works Council, speaks powerfully about the real struggles of delivery riders and platform workers, exposing how algorithmic control dictates every aspect of their work and lives. Equidem stands in solidarity with Winston and the thousands of platform workers demanding fundamental labour rights, social protection, and recognition as worker. Watch the video now 📷

On Decent Work Day : Workers Rally for Injury Compensation Rights in Thailand Today, workers and allies took to the streets in Thailand to demand full and fair compensation from the Worker Injury Compensation Fund. The protest was organized under the leadership of the Thai Labour Solidarity Confederation (TLSC) with the support and participation of members from the Southern Riders Association (a member of the Global Gig Workers Alliance). Their call is clear: when workers get hurt on the job, they must be protected — not left destitute. Across Asia and beyond, gig and platform workers are facing growing risks without any real safety net. Delivery riders and drivers, who often spend 10–12 hours a day on the road, are routinely misclassified as “independent contractors,” excluded from national injury compensation or health insurance schemes. When accidents occur, companies deny responsibility, leaving workers and their families to shoulder medical costs and lost income. In Thailand, riders have long demanded reforms to ensure that the Worker Injury Compensation Fund covers gig workers too — a demand that echoes across the Global South as millions of workers continue to be denied even the most basic labour protections. On this World Day for Decent Work, we stand shoulder to shoulder with all workers fighting for dignity, safety, and justice, from factory floors to city streets. Power and solidarity to TLSC and Southern Riders Association — your fight is our fight. ✊ #DecentWorkDay #Thailand #WorkerRights #GigWorkers #DecentWork #Solidarity #Equidem

Imagine a world without labour rights… No minimum wage. No safety. No voice. No balance. This isn’t just a warning — it’s a call to action. We need a New Social Contract that delivers: ✊ Trade union rights 💼 Good jobs 💰 Decent wages 🛡️ Social protection ⚖️ Equality and inclusion 📅 World Day for Decent Work – 7 October 2025 Decent work is not a privilege — it’s a right. 🔗 ituc-csi.org/world-day-for-… #WDDW25 #DecentWork #WorkersRights #NewSocialContract #ForDemocracy #Solidarity

🎥ITUC’s Corporate Underminers of Democracy 2025 🗣️“I was moderating some of the most gruesome, horrific content the eye can ever see — for just $2 an hour, with no proper mental health support.” – Sonia Kgomo @cowu_kenya 📺Watch the full webinar here: youtube.com/live/ljI4vkdM8…

It's a wrap! The 4⃣ Trade Union #PlatForum just ended. Two days of exchange & disucssions with Platform Workers, #TradeUnions, NGOs & policymakers on the transposition of the #PlatformDirective. The message is clear: All togehter for a #FairDeal for #PlatformWorkers!

Energizing to lead @EquidemOrg’s workshop building a human rights-driven approach to platform work and beyond. Immense privilege to learn from Djoudi an Amazon France warehouse worker and Global Gig Worker Alliance leader and the other workers. Thank you @etuc_ces and @FESonline!

Day 2⃣ of #ETUC-FES Trade Union #PlatForum Yesterday, we had an insightful debate how the transposition of the #PlatformDirective can ensure fair #PlatformWork! W. @TeaJarc @leilachaibi @victor_alaster & M.Schneider (@BMAS_Bund)! Today, many interesting workshops ahead today!

🌍 As Climate Week 2025 unfolds, one truth is clearer than ever: there is no climate justice without labour justice. The transition to renewables cannot be called 'just' if it reproduces exploitation, deepens inequality, or silences the very workers whose labour makes it possible. At Equidem, our research shows how climate change intersects with existing hierarchies of race, class, gender, and migration to create new layers of precarity and violence. And yet, we also see how workers and their organizations are at the forefront of building fairer, more sustainable futures. This #ClimateWeek, we’re calling on governments, investors, and corporations to anchor climate action in the dignity, safety, and rights of workers. That means: ✅ Binding labour standards and human rights due diligence in every renewable project ✅ Worker protections as a non-negotiable condition for climate finance ✅ Freedom of association and safe collective voice so that workers can shape the very transitions they are living through ✅ Measuring labour rights as climate indicators alongside other environmental indicators ⚡ A zero-carbon future built on exploitation is neither just nor sustainable. But a transition rooted in fairness, accountability, and worker voice can deliver something extraordinary: a world where decarbonisation and decent work advance hand in hand. Read our full statement here : equidem.org/climate-week-2… #ClimateWeekNYC #LabourJustice #ClimateJustice #JustTransition

🚨 Public Event Alert – Join us at UNGA 2025 🚨 At this year’s UN General Assembly, when so many of us are reckoning with deepening authoritarianism and the erosion of democracy, @EquidemOrg brings forward stories of hope, of solidarity and democracy being rebuilt from below through the power of labor movements. Join us for this gathering with speakers from the Global Gig Workers Alliance, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, the Alphabet Workers Union, the National Nurses Association, and more. 📅 Tuesday, September 16, 2025 ⏰ 8:30–10:30 AM EST 📍 Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice, New York 🔥 Seats are limited! 👉 RSVP (in person): forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/Response…… 🚇 Nearest metro: Grand Central 👉 Register (online): us05web.zoom.us/webinar/regist…

Equidem’s Rameshwar Nepal recently joined one of Nepal’s most well-known podcasters, Sushant Pradhan, for an in-depth conversation on the urgent issues confronting Nepali migrant workers. From exploitative recruitment practices to unsafe conditions abroad, the discussion underscores why action is needed -- not just from governments in Nepal and destination countries, but also from recruitment agencies, employers, and the multinational brands that profit from their labour. 🎧 Watch the full interview here: youtube.com/watch?v=V8OfeI…

This is the fight that will shape worker rights in the digital age. At the ILO’s International Labour Conference, one of the major questions under debate was: 👉 When an algorithm assigns tasks, sets pay rates, or deactivates accounts, is it exercising labor management or merely facilitating a commercial transaction? It sounds deceptively simple but it’s the million-dollar question that will define the future of work in digital and AI-driven supply chains. Shikha Silliman Bhattacharjee and Nandita Shivakumar, drawing from Equidem’s latest research, explain: 🔴 Why this question matters for workers in the platform economy. 🔴 Why the debate has become so contentious at the ILO. 🔴 Why the answer has implications far beyond Geneva — from content moderators in Kenya to platform workers in Indonesia. Read the full piece here: techpolicy.press/the-ilo-debate…

Equidem, as a member of the @Sport_Rights, stands in solidarity with our partner, the @BSSFofficial following the disappearance of human rights defender Anatol Kotau. Anatol is a long-standing advocate for the rights of Belarusian athletes, a former senior sports official, and currently serves as Coordinator for International Relations at BSSF. He has dedicated decades to defending athletes’ rights and speaking out against repression in Belarus. On 21 August 2025, Anatol traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, on professional matters. Contact with him was lost shortly after his arrival, and his whereabouts remain unknown. Given that he is on wanted registers by both Belarusian and Russian authorities, there are serious concerns for his safety and the risk of political persecution. We join the SRA and BSSF in urgently calling for: 🔴 The international sports community to stand in solidarity with Anatol Kotau. 🔴 Human rights organizations and diplomatic actors to engage with Turkish authorities to ensure an immediate investigation into his disappearance. Anatol’s disappearance is not just a Belarusian issue—it is a grave concern for the global sports and human rights community.