Gig workers in Hyderabad are requesting social security benefits such as life insurance, personal accident insurance, and health insurance. There are over 4.73 lakh gig workers working with different firms in the state, with 85 percent in Hyderabad city. Since their introduction in 2012, there have been no laws, social security, and fulfillment of worker demands. Although a 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.
The Telangana Gig and Platforms Workers Union (TGPWU) has welcomed the announcement by Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Minister K T Rama Rao to safeguard the livelihoods of gig workers and urged the State government to engage in discussions with gig platforms to provide social security benefits. The platform lacks government laws and benefits from companies. Shaik Salauddin, Founder State President of TGPWU, 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.
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.
