• Sanjay Gaba

India is changing. The digital economy, app-based platforms and the world of smartphones have given a new face to employment - gig work. But this new face is as dangerous from within as it is attractive from outside.

Congress Party Initiative

Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi’s far-sightedness and concern for the rights of gig workers inspired the Congress Party to take concrete steps in this direction. The Congress governments in Karnataka and Telangana have set an example for the whole country by forming Gig Workers’ Board. This is the first experiment not only in India but in the whole of Asia where state-level boards have been formed for gig workers. In the coming times, these boards will strengthen the economic and social conditions of gig workers and for the first time they will get real security and respect. This step has put pressure on other state governments and the central government to also implement policies and schemes for gig workers. Gig workers are those people who are available on call 24/7: These people are Delivery boys, Cab drivers, Food app workers, Courier men, Online tutors and Content creators. Companies feel proud to call them ‘partners’, but the realityis that they are the slave labourers of the 21st century - who have no security, no stability, no rights.

The real face of gig workers: 1. Number and strength • There are more than 1 crore gig workers active in India today. • This number is estimated to reach 2.35 crore by 2025. • These people are the heartbeat of metros cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad and other big cities. 2. 24/7 call on = 24/7 exploitation • Basically, Companies distribute work through apps. • You can get a call every minute, you may have to deliver in stipulated time (24x7). • No right to take a leave. (No work, No pay) • The more you stay online, the more you earn – that means you have been turned into a machine, not treated as a human being anymore. 3. Uncertainty of the future • There is no permanent job, no pension. • One accident or illness and the whole career is over. • Thousands of gig workers drowned in hunger and debt due to Covid-19, no company extended a helping hand.

Mathematics of exploitation

• Company’s profit is crores. • Worker’s income is barely 300-500 rupees per day. • Expenses like petrol, mobile data, vehicle maintenance, commission - all from worker’s pocket. • Result: Company is rich, worker is poor.

Silence of the government and the game of the corporate

• The government says - “Gig workers are entrepreneurs.” • The corporates say - “You are our partners.” • The truth: These are all tricks so that labour laws are not implemented and the companies can keep them as cheap slaves. Everyone is silent on the rights of the workers without whom ‘Digital India’ will come to a standstill. Why is the movement of gig workers necessary? Just like there was a fight for freedom against the British, similarly now there will be a fight against corporates and exploitation. History is witness that when workers rise up, empires are shaken. The revolution of gig workers is not just a fight for wages. It is a fight for India’s socio-economic justice.

Gig Workers: five revolutionary demands

• All gig workers should be included in labour laws. • Minimum monthly salary and pension should be guaranteed. • Health insurance, accident insurance and holidays should be ensured. • National Gig Workers’ Board should be formed immediately. • A fixed share of the companies’ profits should reach the workers directly. This struggle is not just for wages but for humanity, respect and future security.

The author is a National Vice-Chairman, Kamgar Karamchari Congress (member AICC) & National President, All-India Gig and Platform Workers Union