Jaipur gathering puts spotlight on women gig workers’ struggles

By Rosamma Thomas 

Over 200 gig workers, the majority of them women, gathered on February 3 at Shaheed Smarak in Jaipur as part of a coordinated nationwide strike demanding basic labour protections. The workers assembled to share their struggles, with activists and lawyers attending in solidarity.

Simple Kumawat, Rajasthan coordinator of the Gig and Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU), highlighted the daily hardships faced by platform-based workers—unstable incomes, unsafe working conditions, and a lack of institutional support. She said the safety of women workers was a particular concern. Workers are often arbitrarily blocked from the platforms they depend on and are unable to negotiate or refuse assignments imposed on them without consultation.

Choudhary Ali Zia Kabir, Advocate, Supreme Court of India, recalled India’s struggle for freedom and reminded workers that the struggle continues until dignity for all and equality under the law are achieved. Freedom, he said, was not merely about replacing colonial rulers with newer forms of oppression. He pointed to the erosion of public education and healthcare, along with rising income and wealth inequality, as evidence of shrinking freedoms.

Kabir underlined the urgent need for minimum wage and earning guarantees, comprehensive life, health, accident, and disability insurance, pension benefits, and workplace safety, especially for women. He also called for algorithmic transparency and fair, uniform regulations.

“Educate, organize, agitate,” he said, urging workers to draw inspiration from Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

Jitender Sharma of the Swasthya Evam Rozgar Abhiyan (SRA), Jaipur, drew attention to the Rajasthan Gig Workers Act, the first such legislation in India. He said that despite repeated requests and a pending petition before the High Court, the government has failed to frame rules under the Act.

He explained that digital platforms make exploitation harder to challenge, as workers struggle to find human connections or speak with real people. “When the vehicle, fuel, time, effort, and risk belong to the worker, the profit must also belong to the worker,” he said.

Citing Article 19 of the Constitution, he noted that despite nearly five lakh gig workers in Rajasthan, no dedicated government helpline exists.

Activist Siya Ram Meena criticised the government’s failure to recognise gig work as a new form of foreign exploitation, noting that the most prominent platforms are owned by overseas corporations.

Activist Kamal remarked on the hollowness of legal provisions when no effective grievance redressal mechanism exists, despite the presence of laws.

Omprakash Saini, Secretary, Churu Sanstha School, urged workers to initiate organised resistance and continue agitating until their constitutional and labour rights are secured.

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*Freelance journalist