Even after 75 years of independence, less than 10% of our workforce is in the organised sector. What this means for this vast majority is that there is no security of service, no guarantee of minimum wages, no social security or insurance or other benefits, hand-to-mouth existence, often migrant status, no legal redress. The emergence of digital platforms and their ability to employ vast numbers of people offers an opportunity to materially impact this situation. However, so far, we have not acted on this opportunity, thereby even imperilling this entire industry and the people who earn their livelihoods from it. Till date the law applicable does not even define a “gig worker”, let alone address the problems that many of these platforms are creating for themselves and for others. The government has left the parties to work out their rights through courts, believing that All Is Well.
For the first time an attempt was made when a “gig worker” was defined under the proposed Code on Social Security as:
“gig worker” means a person who...
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