App-based gig workers observe Christmas Day strike over pay and work conditions

By A Representative

App-based gig and platform workers across the country observed a nationwide strike on Christmas Day following a call by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU), a women-led trade union representing workers in the platform economy. Workers associated with ride-hailing, delivery and home-service platforms, including , and others, refrained from accepting rides and orders as part of the protest, seeking , regulated working hours and recognition of .

According to the union, the strike was organised to highlight what it described as declining earnings and worsening working conditions in the . GIPSWU has demanded that platform companies ensure income security at least equivalent to statutory minimum wages. Among its key demands is a minimum per-kilometre rate of not less than Rs 20 for ride-hailing drivers, calculated after commissions and fuel costs. The union has also called for an eight-hour working day, overtime payments beyond prescribed hours, and safeguards against what it terms arbitrary deactivations, ID blocking and penalty systems.

Union representatives said that current algorithm-driven payment structures do not adequately account for waiting time, fuel price increases and vehicle maintenance expenses, making it difficult for workers to sustain themselves. They alleged that workers’ IDs are frequently blocked or deactivated without prior notice or due process, particularly when ratings fall or when workers raise concerns, effectively cutting off their source of income.

GIPSWU reiterated its demand that gig and platform workers be recognised as workers under existing labour laws, with access to minimum wages and social security benefits such as health insurance, and pensions. The union also highlighted the challenges faced by women gig workers, particularly in beauty and home services, citing safety concerns, gender-based violence, lack of maternity support and instances of sudden ID deactivation.

The Christmas Day strike follows the union’s nationwide “” held on on October 31, 2024, when gig workers switched off their phones and protested through what was described as digital silence. During that action, workers used social media platforms to raise issues related to ratings, harassment, deactivations and the absence of collective bargaining rights.

In a statement, the union said that despite repeated assurances by platform companies about empowering workers, per-task payments have continued to decline, while rating thresholds and automated assignment systems have become more stringent. It also criticised what it described as opaque mechanisms for blocking worker IDs.

Appealing for wider support, GIPSWU called on the Union and state governments to fix and enforce fair minimum rates for gig work and to penalise non-compliant companies. It also urged platform companies to establish transparent grievance redressal mechanisms and restore IDs blocked without due process. The union appealed to the public to express solidarity by limiting use of platform services on the day of the strike and amplifying workers’ concerns through social media.

Comments

Gram sabha as reformer: Mandla’s quiet challenge to the liquor economy

By Raj Kumar Sinha* This year, the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj is organising a two-day PESA Mahotsav in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on 23–24 December 2025. The event marks the passage of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), enacted by Parliament on 24 December 1996 to establish self-governance in Fifth Schedule areas. Scheduled Areas are those notified by the President of India under Article 244(1) read with the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides for a distinct framework of governance recognising the autonomy of tribal regions. At present, Fifth Schedule areas exist in ten states: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana. The PESA Act, 1996 empowers Gram Sabhas—the village assemblies—as the foundation of self-rule in these areas. Among the many powers devolved to them is the authority to take decisions on local matters, including the regulation...

MG-NREGA: A global model still waiting to be fully implemented

By Bharat Dogra When the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MG-NREGA) was introduced in India nearly two decades ago, it drew worldwide attention. The reason was evident. At a time when states across much of the world were retreating from responsibility for livelihoods and welfare, the world’s second most populous country—with nearly two-thirds of its people living in rural or semi-rural areas—committed itself to guaranteeing 100 days of employment a year to its rural population.

Policy changes in rural employment scheme and the politics of nomenclature

By N.S. Venkataraman* The Government of India has introduced a revised rural employment programme by fine-tuning the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which has been in operation for nearly two decades. The MGNREGA scheme guarantees 100 days of employment annually to rural households and has primarily benefited populations in rural areas. The revised programme has been named VB-G RAM–G (Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission – Gramin). The government has stated that the revised scheme incorporates several structural changes, including an increase in guaranteed employment from 100 to 125 days, modifications in the financing pattern, provisions to strengthen unemployment allowances, and penalties for delays in wage payments. Given the extent of these changes, the government has argued that a new name is required to distinguish the revised programme from the existing MGNREGA framework. As has been witnessed in recent years, the introdu...

When a city rebuilt forgets its builders: Migrant workers’ struggle for sanitation in Bhuj

Khasra Ground site By Aseem Mishra* Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is not a privilege—it is a fundamental human right. This principle has been unequivocally recognised by the United Nations and repeatedly affirmed by the Supreme Court of India as intrinsic to the right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. Yet, for thousands of migrant workers living in Bhuj, this right remains elusive, exposing a troubling disconnect between constitutional guarantees, policy declarations, and lived reality.

Rollback of right to work? VB–GRAM G Bill 'dilutes' statutory employment guarantee

By A Representative The Right to Food Campaign has strongly condemned the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB–GRAM G) Bill, 2025, describing it as a major rollback of workers’ rights and a fundamental dilution of the statutory Right to Work guaranteed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). In a statement, the Campaign termed the repeal of MGNREGA a “dark day for workers’ rights” and accused the government of converting a legally enforceable, demand-based employment guarantee into a centralised, discretionary welfare scheme.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

'Structural sabotage': Concern over sector-limited job guarantee in new employment law

By A Representative The advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has raised concerns over the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB–G RAM G), which was approved during the recently concluded session of Parliament amid protests by opposition members. The legislation is intended to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

India’s Halal economy 'faces an uncertain future' under the new food Bill

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The proposed Food Safety and Standards (Amendment) Bill, 2025 marks a decisive shift in India’s food regulation landscape by seeking to place Halal certification exclusively under government control while criminalising all private Halal certification bodies. Although the Bill claims to promote “transparency” and “standardisation,” its structure and implications raise serious concerns about religious freedom, economic marginalisation, and the systematic dismantling of a long-established, Muslim-led Halal ecosystem in India.

Making rigid distinctions between Indian and foreign 'historically untenable'

By A Representative Oral historian, filmmaker and cultural conservationist Sohail Hashmi has said that everyday practices related to attire, food and architecture in India reflect long histories of interaction and adaptation rather than rigid or exclusionary ideas of identity. He was speaking at a webinar organised by the Indian History Forum (IHF).

Search This Blog