Gig workers hold online strike on republic day; nationwide protests planned on February 3

By A Representative

Gig and platform service workers across the country observed a nationwide online strike on Republic Day, responding to a call given by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) to protest what it described as exploitation, insecurity and denial of basic worker rights in the platform economy. The union said women gig workers led the January 26 action by switching off their work apps as a mark of protest.

According to GIPSWU, workers associated with ride-hailing, food and grocery delivery, domestic services, beauty and wellness, logistics, e-commerce and digital services participated in the online strike. The union has also announced nationwide physical protests at multiple locations on February 3.

In a statement, the union said gig and platform workers continue to face arbitrary blocking of worker IDs, opaque rating systems, income insecurity, lack of grievance redressal mechanisms and unilateral changes in work policies. It alleged that women workers face additional risks related to safety, dignity and legal protection. The union claimed that several incidents involving disputes over payment to women workers have escalated into scuffles and assaults, with videos circulating on social media.

GIPSWU further alleged that when women workers report grievances to companies, automated systems delay resolution and, in many cases, the workers ultimately face ID blocking, resulting in loss of livelihood. The union claimed that some women workers are removed from platforms despite having paid registration amounts of up to Rs. 50,000, and alleged that workers are threatened with ID blocking if they attempt to participate in protests or speak to the media.

The union also questioned what it termed the government’s silence on the issue of ID blocking, stating that thousands of workers have already been affected. It cited public statements by senior executives of app-based companies regarding large-scale terminations and said workers from platforms such as Urban Company have expressed fear of speaking openly to the media.

GIPSWU said it has made repeated representations to the Government of India, including to the Ministry of Labour and Employment, but its demands remain unresolved. Referring to a recent announcement by Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on discontinuing 10-minute instant delivery systems, the union said no written notification has been made public, raising questions about the government’s commitment to addressing systemic issues faced by gig workers.

The union reiterated its key demands, including enactment of a comprehensive Central law for gig and platform service workers; an immediate ban on arbitrary ID blocking, unfair rating systems and auto-assign mechanisms; higher income rates; transparent grievance redressal systems; workplace safety measures, including emergency features in apps; and mandatory consultation with workers before changes in work conditions.

Calling the January 26 strike a democratic assertion of rights, GIPSWU appealed to Members of Parliament, trade unions, women’s organisations, civil society groups and the public to support the February 3 nationwide protests and what it described as the constitutional struggle of gig and platform service workers for dignity, safety and justice.

Comments

Was Netaji forced to alter face, die in obscurity in USSR in 1975? Was he so meek?

By Rajiv Shah This should sound almost hilarious. Not only did Subhas Chandra Bose not die in a plane crash in Taipei, nor was he the mysterious Gumnami Baba who reportedly passed away on 16 September 1985 in Ayodhya, but we are now told that he actually died in 1975—date unknown—“in oblivion” somewhere in the former Soviet Union. Which city? Moscow? No one seems to know.

Love letters in a lifelong war: Babusha Kohli’s resistance in verse

By Ravi Ranjan* “War does not determine who is right—only who is left.” Bertrand Russell’s words echo hauntingly in our times, and few contemporary Hindi poets embody this truth as profoundly as Babusha Kohli. Emerging from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Kohli has carved a unique space in literature by weaving together tenderness, protest, and philosophy across poetry, prose, and cinema. Her work is not merely artistic expression—it is resistance, refuge, and a call for peace.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Asbestos contamination in children’s products highlights global oversight gaps

By A Representative A commentary published by the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) has drawn attention to the challenges governments face in responding effectively to global public-health risks. In an article written by Laurie Kazan-Allen and published on March 5, 2026, the author examines how the discovery of asbestos contamination in children’s play products has raised questions about regulatory oversight and international product safety. The article opens by reflecting on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that governments in several countries were slow to respond to early warning signs of the crisis. Referring to the experience of the United Kingdom, the author writes that delays in implementing protective measures contributed to “232,112 recorded deaths and over a million people suffering from long Covid.” The commentary uses this example to illustrate what it describes as the dangers of underestimating emerging threats. Attention then turns...

India’s green energy push faces talent crunch amidst record growth at 16% CAGR

By Jag Jivan* A new study by a top consulting firm has found that India’s cleantech sector is entering a decisive growth phase, with strong policy backing, record capacity additions and surging investor interest, but facing mounting pressure on talent supply and rising compensation costs .

The kitchen as prison: A feminist elegy for domestic slavery

By Garima Srivastava* Kumar Ambuj stands as one of the most incisive voices in contemporary Hindi poetry. His work, stripped of ornamentation, speaks directly to the lived realities of India’s marginalized—women, the rural poor, and those crushed under invisible forms of violence. His celebrated poem “Women Who Cook” (Khānā Banātī Striyāṃ) is not merely about food preparation; it is a searing indictment of patriarchal domestic structures that reduce women’s existence to endless, unpaid labour.

The price of silence: Why Modi won’t follow Shastri, appeal for sacrifice

By Arundhati Dhuru, Sandeep Pandey* In 1965, as India grappled with war and a crippling food crisis, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri faced a United States that used wheat shipments under the PL-480 agreement as a lever to dictate Indian foreign policy. Shastri’s response remains legendary: he appealed to the nation to skip one meal a day. Millions of middle-class households complied, choosing temporary hunger over the sacrifice of national dignity. Today, India faces a modern equivalent in the energy sector, yet the leadership’s response stands in stark contrast to that era of self-reliance.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Beyond sattvik: Purity, caste and the politics of the Indian kitchen

By Rajiv Shah A few week ago, I was forwarded an article that appeared in the British weekly The Economist . Titled “Caste and cuisine: From honeycomb curry to blood fry: India’s ‘untouchable’ cooking”, it took me back to what I had blogged about what was called a “ sattvik food festival”, an annual event organised by former Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad professor Anil Gupta.

Search This Blog