The passing of the Rajasthan Platform Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Act, 2023, by the Rajasthan Assembly on July 24 is a celebratory moment for gig workers and their unions. Rajasthan is the first State to pass such a law. This small win holds implications for such workers across India as pressure is now building on other States to bring platform workers under a similar social security net through targeted laws. With several elections around the corner, unions might see some more success on this front.
The Rajasthan Act covers platform workers and platforms such as ride-sharing, delivery, logistics, home-based services, e-retail, healthcare, travel, hospitality, content, and media services. A tripartite welfare board will be formed with representatives of the State government, workers, platform companies, and civil society. This board will oversee a welfare fund, register workers and platform aggregators/employers, monitor compliance, facilitate the proposed social security measures, and formulate insurance and social security schemes, among other functions.
The tripartite board is a workaround to deal with a situation where there is no direct legal employment relationship between worker and employer, explained Aditi Surie, a senior researcher with the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS). This is not a problem unique to India. Globally, platform companies obfuscate the employee-employer relationship by labelling workers as users, riders, delivery...
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