The Karnataka government has published a draft bill to ensure social security and welfare of gig workers in keeping with the promise made by Rahul Gandhi before last year’s Assembly elections when he interacted with some of the workers in Bengaluru.

The government sought suggestions and objections from stakeholders to enact a law that will provide a safety net for thousands working in the unorganised sector. The suggestions need to be made within 10 days of publishing the draft dated June 29.

The Karnataka Platform-based Gig Workers’ (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2024, aims to make “obligations on aggregators in relation to social security, occupational health and safety, transparency in automated monitoring and decision-making systems to provide dispute resolution mechanisms”.

An estimated two lakh gig workers are currently attached to aggregators such as Swiggy, Zomato and Dunzo.

The bill, once enacted, will bring all gig workers under the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers Welfare Board that will be based in the city and headed by the labour minister.

The board will have two representatives of gig workers and aggregators to be nominated by the government and one member from civil society apart from bureaucrats.

Under the proposed law, gig workers will have the right to be registered with the government once they are onboarded or employed by an aggregator. They will be provided a unique ID that will remain constant even if they move to other aggregators.

The bill proposes social security measures and a grievance redress mechanism for all registered gig workers.

It will be mandatory for all aggregators to provide to the board all data related to gig workers employed within 60 days of commencement of the Act. Subsequently, all workers employed after the enactment of this law would also have to be registered with the board within 60 days.

The agreement will have to contain an exhaustive list of grounds for termination of contract of any registered worker. The bill clearly states that an aggregator cannot sack a gig worker without providing valid reasons and a prior notice of 14 days.

The aggregators will have to inform the board about any deductions in payments to gig workers and cite the reasons. The bill also provides for reasonable working conditions and an environment that is safe and without risk to the health of the workers.

The bill also provides for The Karnataka Gig Workers’ Social Security and Welfare Fund. The fund will be made up of welfare fees levied on the aggregators, contributions made by gig workers, grants from the state and central governments and donations.

The aggregators will be charged the platform-based gig workers’ welfare fee that should be deposited at the end of each quarter. The rate of welfare fee would be notified later. Gig workers will have the option of filing complaints before the grievance redress officer or on a dedicated web portal.