Buoyed by KTR’s leg-up, gig workers raise pitch for social security cover

Hyderabad: Following the announcement by Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Minister K T Rama Rao to safeguard the livelihoods of gig workers, the Gig workers’ union has welcomed this move and urged the State government to engage in discussions with gig platforms to provide social security benefits, such as life insurance, personal accident insurance, and health insurance for gig workers.

With the number of quick-commerce workers increasing rapidly in the city and State, there has been a lack of social security and provisions for gig workers employed by these firms. Consequently, the Gig Platform Workers are requesting that the government establish a tripartite board involving companies such as Ola, Uber, Swiggy, Zomato, and Urban Company to provide gig workers with social security and other benefits.

The Telangana Gig and Platforms Workers Union (TGPWU) has reported that there are over 4.73 lakh gig workers working with different firms in the state, with 85 percent in Hyderabad city, and the number of these workers is increasing rapidly in the city, State, and across the country. However, the platform lacks government laws and benefits from companies. Since their introduction in 2012, there have been no laws, social security, and fulfillment of worker demands.

Although the bill was passed in parliament in 2020, it is yet to be implemented, and over 77 lakh workers across the country are waiting for the implementation. The proposed social security measures include disability and life insurance benefits, accident cover, maternity coverage, creche services, old-age protection, gratuity, and provident fund contributions.

Shaik Salauddin, Founder State President of TGPWU, has stated that the Code on Social Security, among other provisions, requires aggregators, companies, and e-commerce platforms to contribute 1 to 2 percent of their total annual turnover towards social security provisions for workers. However, this is yet to be implemented. He urged the formation of a tripartite board, as announced by Minister K T Rama Rao, involving the government, e-commerce companies, and marketing vendors and partners, to make Telangana a role model for other States concerning gig workers.

Salauddin has proposed a levy on each transaction that occurs on digital platforms categorised under the schedule of employment. The levy would be a percentage of the total amount of the transaction value, which would be collected to establish a Social Security Fund for Gig and Platform Workers.

In addition, app-based workers from online platforms such as Ola, Uber, Swiggy, Zomato, Rapido, Blinkit, Shadowfax, Zepto, Amazon, BigBasket, Shadowfax, Denzo, Flipkart, and Urban Company have come together to demand that social and economic security for Gig and Platform Workers be ensured.

They have called for strict laws to be enacted soon to regulate aggregator companies, as industries and businessmen are rarely prosecuted for labor law violations. The government should focus on plugging issues without diluting penal provisions, said Salauddin.