Amid Telangana polls, gig workers flag issues for parties: job protection to social security

Shaik Salauddin, the TGPWU president, said that drivers and delivery partners continue to be among the exploited and vulnerable groups in the current economy. Given the Telangana government’s focus on IT and e-commerce platforms, the state should “become a pioneer with a board for gig and platform-based workers,” he said.

On the “need for social security”, a 24-year-old delivery partner with a food delivery platform said that accidents involving gig workers have been constantly rising. “I am on the road for at least 16 hours a day. There is always pressure to reach the customer on time. Above all, if anything happens to me on the road, there is no one to take care of my family,” he said.

Another youngster, working with a bike sharing platform, said he was compelled to take up the gig work as he could not find regular jobs. “There is always the fear of road accidents. There is no way we can afford medical treatment. There is a fear of pay cuts. There is no job security.”

Parties’ stance

The ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) led by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao or KCR had made a pitch against the “exploitation of gig and platform workers” and even assured a comprehensive policy in this regard. However, the issue has not figured in the party’s poll manifesto.

In May 2023, Telangana Minister for IT, Industries and Commerce K T Rama Rao or KTR, speaking at the launch of a new fulfilment centre for e-commerce platform Flipkart in Sangareddy, spoke about securing the lives of workers and urged the company to lead this initiative.

“Let us create a unique model that will serve as a statement from Telangana. A model that includes a tripartite arrangement — among the government, e-commerce companies, marketing vendors and their partners — to safeguard the livelihoods of the gig workers… We should build credibility and aspiration among youngsters to work in the e-commerce sector,” KTR had then said.

Salauddin met the minister recently. “He (KTR) said the work is in progress, but the Model Code of Conduct has come into force. He assured us that the rest will be done soon after the elections.”

The TGPWU recently met the chairman of the Congress Manifesto Committee, D Sridhar Babu, regarding the inclusion of their demands in the manifesto of the party, which is emerging as the main challenger to the BRS in the polls.

Salauddin had met Rahul Gandhi in November 2022 during his Bharat Jodo Yatra when it was passing through the state. He raised the gig workers’ concerns in his meeting with the Congress leader.

The Congress’s government in Rajasthan has passed the Gig and Platform Workers Welfare Act. The Congress-led Karnataka government has rolled out a health insurance cover worth Rs 4 lakh for gig workers.

BJP leader Marri Shashidhar Reddy said the issue was being discussed within the party.

Both the Congress and the BJP are yet to release their manifestos.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which is contesting from 20 out of 119 seats, has proposed a gig workers welfare board in its manifesto as well as Rs 2,500 pension and a free accident and life insurance cover of up to Rs 5 lakh for workers.

A 2022 Niti Aayog report on “India’s Booming Gig and Platform Economy” says that 77 lakh workers were engaged in the gig economy in the year 2020-21, which is expected to rise to 2.35 crore workers by 2029-30. The gig workers, the report says, are likely to form 6.7 per cent of the non-agricultural workforce in the country by 2029-30.