Political Science Law | Open Access | DOI: https://doi.org/10.37547/tajpslc/Volume08Issue08-01

Determining the Labour-Law Status of Workers Under Algorithmic Management on Digital Labour Platforms: Improving the Legislation of Uzbekistan In Light of ILO Convention No. 193

Abstract

This article examines the problem of determining the labour-law status of persons performing work through digital labour platforms under conditions of algorithmic management. ILO Convention No. 193, ILO Recommendation No. 198, Directive (EU) 2024/2831, the Labour Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and relevant national rules are examined comparatively. It is argued that, in the legal assessment of the relationship, priority should be given not to the title of the contract or the formal status of self-employment, but to factual indicators such as the actual organisation of work, remuneration, allocation of tasks, ratings, monitoring, sanctions, and deactivation. “Algorithmic subordination” is proposed not as an independent indicator of an employment relationship, but as a set of criteria demonstrating that the platform’s organisational and managerial authority is exercised through digital means. A two-stage legal approach is proposed for Uzbekistan: first, to provide all persons performing work through platforms with basic guarantees of algorithmic transparency and effective protection; and second, where facts evidencing management and control are established, to introduce a mechanism for determining the existence of an employment relationship on the basis of the factual circumstances.

Keywords

Digital labour platform, platform worker, algorithmic management

References

International Labour Organization. Convention concerning decent work in the platform economy, 2026 (No. 193). Adopted 12 June 2026.

De Stefano, V. The ILO Decent Work in the Platform Economy Convention, 2026 (No. 193): A Preliminary Analysis. Osgoode Legal Studies Research Paper No. 193, 2026. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.6968259.

De Stefano, V., Durri, I., Stylogiannis, C., Wouters, M. Platform work and the employment relationship. ILO Working Paper 27. Geneva: ILO, 2021.

Hießl, C. The legal status of platform workers: regulatory approaches and prospects of a European solution. Italian Labour Law E-Journal, 2022, 15(1), 13–28. DOI: 10.6092/issn.1561-8048/15210.

Prassl, J., Risak, M. Uber, TaskRabbit, & Co: Platforms as Employers? Rethinking the Legal Analysis of Crowdwork. Comparative Labor Law & Policy Journal, 2016, pp. 618–651.

Rosenblat, A., Stark, L. Algorithmic Labor and Information Asymmetries: A Case Study of Uber’s Drivers. International Journal of Communication, 2016, Vol. 10, 3758–3784.

Wood, A.J., Graham, M., Lehdonvirta, V., Hjorth, I. Good Gig, Bad Gig: Autonomy and Algorithmic Control in the Global Gig Economy. Work, Employment and Society, 2019, 33(1), 56–75. DOI: 10.1177/0950017018785616.

Veale, M., Silberman, M.S., Binns, R. Fortifying the algorithmic management provisions in the proposed Platform Work Directive. European Labour Law Journal, 2023, 14(2), 308–332. DOI: 10.1177/20319525231167983.

Abdullayeva, P. Raqamli platformalardagi bandlikni huquqiy tartibga solish [Legal regulation of employment on digital platforms]. Actual Problems of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2025, 5(S/5), 242–246. DOI: 10.47390/SPR1342V5SI5Y2025N40.1. [In Uzbek].

Javliyeva, G.A. Raqamli iqtisodiyot sharoitida mehnat munosabatlari transformatsiyasi va notipik mehnat munosabatlari [Transformation of labour relations and non-standard employment relations in the digital economy]. Yurisprudensiya, 2024, 4(1), 91–99. DOI: 10.51788/tsul.jurisprudence.4.1./VGLS9563. [In Uzbek].

Hamroqulov, B., Ro‘ziboyev, A. Sun’iy intellekt qarorlarida adolatsizlik muammosi va uni bartaraf etish yo‘llari [The problem of unfairness in artificial-intelligence decisions and ways to address it]. Actual Problems of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2026, 6(2), 213–218. DOI: 10.47390/SPR1342V6I2Y2026N30. [In Uzbek].

Hamroqulov, B.M. Legal regulation of working hours in the Republic of Uzbekistan and some foreign countries. International Journal of Law and Criminology, 2025, 5(02), 29–35. DOI: 10.37547/ijlc/Volume05Issue02-05.

Hamroqulov, B.M. Pre-trial resolution of individual labor disputes. American Journal of Social Sciences and Humanity Research, 2025, 5(03), 5–9. DOI: 10.37547/ajsshr/Volume05Issue03-02.

Hamroqulov, B. Jamoaviy mehnat nizolarini hal etish: milliy va xorijiy tajriba [Resolution of collective labour disputes: national and foreign experience]. Actual Problems of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2025, 5(12), 400–407. DOI: 10.47390/SPR1342V5I12Y2025N73. [In Uzbek].

Hamrokulov, B.M. Material Liability of an Employee to the Employer. Oriental Journal of History, Politics and Law, 2026, 6(03), 67–75. DOI: 10.37547/supsci-ojhpl-06-03-10.

Hamroqulov, B., Mamirov, S. Grounds for termination of employment contract with employer’s initiative in connection with one-time rude violation labor duties by employee. Society and Innovations, 2021.

Labour Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Law No. ZRU–798 of 28 October 2022.

International Labour Organization. Employment Relationship Recommendation, 2006 (No. 198).

Directive (EU) 2024/2831 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2024 on improving working conditions in platform work.

Appendix 2 to Resolution No. 256 of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan of 1 May 2024: Regulation on the Procedure for Recognising the Dominant Position and Superior Bargaining Power of a Digital Platform Operator.

“Mening ishim” (“My Work”) digital project: data from the Digital Projects Registry of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Poverty Reduction and Employment.

International Labour Organization, NORMLEX. C193 Instrument profile (ratification status).

Download and View Statistics

Views: 0   |   Downloads: 0

Copyright License

Download Citations

How to Cite

Bahodir Mamasharifovich Hamroqulov. (2026). Determining the Labour-Law Status of Workers Under Algorithmic Management on Digital Labour Platforms: Improving the Legislation of Uzbekistan In Light of ILO Convention No. 193. The American Journal of Political Science Law and Criminology, 8(08), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.37547/tajpslc/Volume08Issue08-01