Hyderabad: Telangana Gig workers want Raj’s ‘social security bill’ in Congress manifesto

Hyderabad : Telangana Gig and Platform Workers have demanded the Congress party to include in its manifesto the ‘social security Bill’ for 4.2 lakh workers employed in the State.

The workers include drivers of Ola, Uber, Rapido, and Porter, and delivery partners of Swiggy, Zomato, Blink, Dunzo, Big Basket, Shadowfax, Amazon, and Urban Company, among others.

The Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) president Shaik Salauddin and his team called on the chairman of the Congress Manifesto Committee D Sridhar Babu, urging him to introduce a social security bill similar to the one launched in Rajasthan. The Rajasthan government recently introduced the legislation to ensure social security for gig and platform workers in the State.

According to TGPWU, in July, the Rajasthan Assembly passed a Bill for the formation of a welfare board as well as creation of a fund for platform-based gig workers in the State.

Salahuddin mentioned that the Rajasthan Platform-based Gig Workers Bill 2023 has provided a model for the development of a welfare board to provide social protection and benefits for workers in Rajasthan. He demanded a similar bill from the Congress in Telangana. “We request you to enact a similar legislation in Telangana keeping a few points in mind,” Salahuddin stated.

He highlighted the benefits for gig workers in Rajasthan, including a fee on each transaction generated in the platform deposited into a dedicated social security fund for the welfare of gig and platform workers. A tripartite board comprising representatives from aggregators, worker organisations, and the government is responsible for administering social security schemes for gig and platform workers. All gig and platform workers on board with the aggregator’s platforms are automatically registered with the board and eligible for the benefits.

A centralised tracking and management system serves as a common portal for all financial transactions on the aggregator’s platform. This system provides a detailed breakdown of individual bills, including fares, commissions, payments to workers, fees, and taxes. A binding law (social security Bill) that ensures that the above points are followed.