INDL-9: Teleperformance Formally Notified Over the Protection of Kenyan Data Workers
On 9 September 2026, during the 9th edition of INDL, held at the International
Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva, Teleperformance SE, one of the world’s
largest providers of customer relationship management and outsourced digital
services, was formally notified to undertake a comprehensive review of its
vigilance plan, with the aim of strengthening the protection of the health,
safety and integrity of its data workers.
The formal legal action was initiated by T-FAPT, the CGT’s national federation
representing workers in the postal and telecommunications sectors, together with
the Data Labelers Association and The Oversight Lab Africa, two Kenyan
organisations working to defend the rights and protection of data workers.
The action follows several months of action-research conducted by the
organisation Intérêt à Agir, coordinated by Luca D’Ambrosio and Baptiste Delmas,
in partnership with DipLab.
Their investigations have documented several serious concerns affecting Kenyan
data workers, including the vulnerability of migrant workers, exposure to
violent, disturbing and potentially traumatising content in the course of their
work, and fear of retaliation, which can prevent workers from reporting abuses
or effectively exercising their rights.
Since 2017, the French Duty of Vigilance Law has required large French companies
to establish and effectively implement a vigilance plan designed to identify and
prevent serious violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as
risks to the health and safety of people, throughout their activities and
relevant value chains.
In the case of Teleperformance, the organisations bringing this action argue
that the company’s current vigilance plan does not adequately identify or
prevent the risks documented by the research conducted by DipLab and Intérêt à
Agir among Kenyan data workers.
The formal notice therefore calls on Teleperformance to strengthen its vigilance
measures and address the risks identified across its global digital labour
chain.
The formal notice gives Teleperformance three months to comply with its
obligations under the Duty of Vigilance Law.