The Status of Gig and Platform Workers in India

Abstract

The number of gig and platform workers proliferated in India and the world over the last decade. Technological advances in communication technology and the popularity of e-commerce facilitated the gig and platform model to flourish.The latest impetus came from the pandemic during the last two years and gig and platform work multiplied significantly. Contactless delivery of goods and services and flexi-staffing adopted by employers facilitated greater use of gig and platform workers. However, gig and platform work environments suffer from a lack of employer-employee relations. Because of this lacuna,the majority of labour laws do not apply to gig and platform workers.They don't have any jobs or social security.They don't have access to occupational safety and health measures.This paper delves into the possibility of analysing employment relations between gig and platform workers and also highlights the fact that such workers are deprived of protection under the prevailing labour laws.