Comments on the draft Karnataka Platform based Gig Workers Bill, 2024
Joint Submission with the Indian Federation of App Based Transport Workers
The Karnataka government has published the draft Karnataka Platform based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2024, inviting public comments. The draft Bill is a welcome move as it provides for much needed social welfare measures and rights for platform based gig workers. This Bill has the potential to set the standard for platform based gig workers’ rights not just in India but globally. Therefore, a need was felt to bring further clarity to some of the provisions in the draft Bill.
To this end, Vidhi and the Indian Federation of App Based Transport Workers (IFAT), in collaboration with organisations signed hereunder, submitted comments to the Department of Labour, Government of Karnataka, suggesting improvements in the Bill. To facilitate the submission, a roundtable discussion was organised on 9th July, 2024, at the Bangalore International Centre, Bengaluru.
The collaboration was aimed at submitting a joint document outlining suggestions that may be adopted under the draft Bill. Representatives from civil society organisations, trade unions and experts participated in the roundtable discussion. The session was moderated by Vidhi’s Co-founder, Alok Prasanna Kumar. After the day-long discussion and deliberations, a joint submission was finalised and submitted to the Department of Labour, Government of Karnataka.
Signatories of the submission to the Department are as follow:
- Shaik Salahuddin, Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union
- Sangam Tripathy, Indian Federation of App Based Transport Workers
- Chandan Kumar, Hamal Panchayat
- Alok Prasanna Kumar, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy
- Deepa Padmar, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy
- Varini G, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy
- Janaki Srinivasan, IIIT Bangalore and Fairwork India
- Anita Gurumurthy, Nandini Chami and Sadhana Sanjay, IT for Change
- Soujanya Sridharan, Aapti Institute
- Ritvik Gupta, Aapti Institute
- Mounika Neerukonda, Fairwork India
- Tony Mathew, Fairwork India
- Rakshita Swamy, Social Accountability Forum for Action and Research (SAFAR)
- Nikhil Dey, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan
- Inayath Ali, Karnataka App Based Drivers Union
- Shiva Kumar and Selvi, Gig and Platform Services Workers Union (GIPSWU)
- Chiara Furtado, Centre for Internet and Society
- Nishkala Sekhar, Centre for Internet and Society
The document lays out the expectations from a Bill aimed at protecting platform based gig workers, and provides clause-by-clause comments.
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About the Authors
Alok Prasanna Kumar is Co-Founder and Lead, Vidhi Karnataka. His areas of research include judicial reforms, Constitutional law, urban development, and law and technology. He graduated with a B.A. LL.B. (Hons) from the NALSAR University in 2008 and obtained the BCL from the University of Oxford in 2009. He writes a monthly column for the Economic and Political Weekly and has published in the Indian Journal of Constitutional Law and National Law School of India Review apart from media outlets such as The Hindu, Indian Express, Scroll, Quint and Caravan. He has practiced in the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court from the chambers of Mr Mohan Parasaran, and currently also co-hosts the Ganatantra podcast on IVM Podcasts.
Deepa is a Senior Resident Fellow at Vidhi, Karnataka. Her research interests lie in the interplay between technology, data and urban policy. Prior to joining Vidhi, Deepa interned with Aapti Institute where she researched on data stewardship models and the governance of non-personal data. She holds an undergraduate degree in law from School of Law, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore.
Varini G is a BA LLB (Batch of 2023) graduate from the School of Law, Christ University, Bengaluru. She currently works as a Research Fellow with the Karnataka team assisting various departments and local governments in Karnataka. Her primary interests are local governance, devolution of power, urbanism and socio-economic rights through critical and feminist approaches to the law, policy and governance. She believes in participatory approaches, radical decentralisation and equitable access to cities. Her nonacademic interests are reading speculative fiction and exploring different music cultures. She enjoys a history of everything, the outdoors, nature and spicy food.