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India should use the current implementation phase of its gig worker social security framework to develop a more comprehensive grievance redressal mechanism and strengthen stakeholder consultations, according to Suruchi Kumar, Partner at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.
Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the Stakeholders' Consultation on Opportunities and Challenges of Gig and Platform Workers in India, organised by FICCI-AIOE in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), Kumar said while companies have already put in place grievance handling systems, there is still scope for a more holistic framework at the national level. "Uber, Zepto and Amazon have already started preparing; in fact, they have prepared a long time back an architecture for grievance addressing mechanism which is quite holistic and it has a timeline also of how they address these grievances and complete them, including a human intervention," Kumar told ANI. She said discussions at the consultation also highlighted gaps between existing frameworks and evolving global standards for platform work. "ILO also mentioned that there are gaps in how grievances should be addressed in India, as well as the gaps compared to what the ILO is thinking as a convention for decent work and platform economy," she said. According to Kumar, India is still at an early stage of developing regulations for the gig and platform economy, making this an opportunity to refine the framework through further consultations. "This is, of course, the first time India will be looking into this issue, which is why there is an evolving concept," she said. Kumar noted that Karnataka currently remains the only state to have introduced a dedicated law and rules governing the gig and platform economy. "At this point, even from a state law perspective, there is only Karnataka which has come out with a holistic act and rules," she said. She added that the existing central rules do not yet provide detailed clarity on grievance redressal processes, and more regulatory guidance could emerge in the future. "I still feel the state and the centre have some time to bring about a more holistic guideline which could be on the lines of a combined reading of the ILO convention of decent work in the platform economy and of course taking the best parts of the central rules and the Karnataka state rules," Kumar said. The legal expert also stressed the need for continued engagement among governments, companies and workers to improve awareness and implementation of social security measures. "For a gig worker to understand what their rights are, what their duties are, where they grieve and what kind of social security they are entitled to, everybody needs to come together and that is what the government needs to enable," she said. "The industry needs to come together, the workers, maybe the representatives need to come together and the government needs to create a platform for this discussion so that we can understand what can be done better," Kumar added. (ANI)
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