NEW DELHI: The government is nudging platforms, such as Ola, Uber, Zomato, Swiggy and Urban Company, to provide some social security benefits to gig workers, including life insurance and personal accident and health covers.
The labour ministry has held some discussions with the platforms but the issue has not been resolved yet, reports in some leading national dailies said on April 22. Given that these would be group covers, the cost will not be significant for the platforms, which have seen a massive jump in workers approaching them, either for part-time or even full-time jobs, the reports said.
Globally as well, there have been concerns over inadequate social security benefits being available to gig workers. The move to seek social security benefits for gig workers comes even as the government works on notifying the four labour codes that were enacted several months ago but are yet to be implemented with some of the states, especially those ruled by Opposition parties, still not ready with the rules.
The Code on Social Security has proposed to provide life and disability cover, accident insurance, health and maternity benefits, old age protection and crèche for gig workers, in addition to the creation of Social Security Funds through contributions from certain aggregators.
The absence of social security benefits for gig workers is not just an India-specific phenomenon.
