Gig union representatives meet Delhi CM, propose bill for workers

The demands include the formation of a dedicated Gig Workers Board to ensure improved working conditions and social security

A five-member delegation representing gig workers met Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, seeking a draft bill for their welfare in line with the Labour Codes, according to a person aware of the matter.

 

The union representatives, during their meeting on Thursday, submitted a detailed memorandum with several demands to the Delhi government, said a statement by the Gig Workers Association. 

 

The demands included the formation of a dedicated Gig Workers Board to ensure improved working conditions and social security. Other demands were the establishment of rest centres for gig workers, a special drive to register gig workers on the e-Shram portal, welfare schemes for e-Shram–registered gig workers, and issuance of Ayushman cards for all gig workers in Delhi.

 

The representatives will meet with the Delhi CM in the first week of February again to deliberate these proposals further and discuss the implementation of the Labour Codes, said the person.

 

The draft rules for the Labour Codes were published for consultation on December 30. Many states, including Delhi, are yet to notify the rules. Once states notify individual rules, all four Codes will finally be made fully operational.

 

The draft rules notified by the Centre legally recognise gig workers, laying down provisions for social security for them.

 

“The Draft Delhi Platform-Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Bill is important because the central Labour Codes currently provide limited and largely enabling provisions for gig and platform workers, without clear enforcement mechanisms. The Delhi Bill has the potential to strengthen and operationalise social security for gig workers in ways that the Labour Codes have not yet achieved in practice,” said Nitesh Das, Organising Secretary at the Gig Workers Association, who was also present at the meeting.

 

The bill proposed by unions includes provisions such as including a mandatory welfare fee on aggregators, a real-time transaction tracking system to ensure transparency in payments and deductions, and advance notice requirements for algorithm or incentive changes affecting workers’ earnings. It also proposes a statutory grievance redressal and appellate mechanism, and penalties for platform non-compliance.

 

“While timelines and modalities were not finalised in the meeting, the assurance was that the government will take these proposals forward seriously. From our side, we will continue to engage and hold the government accountable to ensure these commitments translate into concrete policy action,” Das added.