Delivery agents of Swiggy, Zomato, cab drivers of Ola, Uber on strike today in Pune. Here's why
Uber, Swiggy strike in Pune: Indian Gig Workers Front urged the Maharashtra government to pass an act that protects gig workers from exploitation.
Cab and auto rickshaw drivers including those of Ola, Uber, delivery personnel working for firms including Swiggy, Zomato, Urban company in Maharashtra's Pune are observing a strike on Wednesday demanding organised labour laws in a bid to secure their rights.
The demands, put forth by the committee ‘Indian Gig Workers Front’, include a demand from the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government to pass an act that protects gig workers from exploitation and provides them with social security and welfare benefits, HT reported earlier.
Advocate Keshav Kshirsagar, one of the members of the committee, emphasised the need for Maharashtra to pass a law similar to the "Rajasthan Platform Based Gig Workers Act, 2023" and the Union government’s ‘Social Code 2020’ Labour Code, to protect workers from exploitation.
“Rajasthan is the first state in India to introduce a bill for the Rajasthan Platform Based Gig Workers Act, 2023 (the Act), leading the state of Rajasthan to be the first Indian state to regulate and support the growing gig economy workforce through this comprehensive legal framework. On those grounds, we want a similar law looking after the interests of the gig workers in Maharashtra", Kshirsagar said.
“The Act aims to provide important social security and essential benefits to the working class. The law provides security at low investment for countless unemployed youths and even the elderly. This Act provides labour guarantee to employers through platforms like Ola, Uber, Swiggy, Zomato, Amazon, Urban Company and others,” he added.
According to the law, a unique identity card will be generated for each worker. It also provides for the establishment of the ‘Platform-Based Gig Workers Fund and Welfare Fee’, under which social security and welfare funds for gig workers will be raised.
With a significant number of workers operating in the gig economy, the need for formalised protections and regulatory frameworks has emerged as a critical concern for the worker's welfare and security.
