Digital platforms fail empathy test in gig workers’ jobs

The dismal plight of gig workers has again been underscored by a report that has been studying the work conditions of workers employed by digital platforms. It found five of 12 platforms examined, scoring zero on the parameters for fair pay, work conditions, contracts, management and representation.

The fourth edition of Fair Work India report, titled ‘Labour Standards in the Platform Economy: Fair Work India Ratings 2022’ by Fairwork India, Centre for IT and Public Policy (CITAPP), International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIIT-B), in association with Oxford University, saw popular brands such as Ola, Uber, Dunzo and PharmaEasy had failed to meet any of the parameters set by the study. None of the players managed to score over 7/10.

The report credited bigbasket, Flipkart and Urban Company for initiating policies to ensure that all workers earn at least the hourly local minimum wage beyond work-related costs. However, none of them could provide evidence that workers earn at least the local living wage.

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“Gig workers are independent contractors. They are neither treated as employees, nor are they treated as part of the unorganised sector. They are not bound by any legal wage and the platforms don’t feel obliged to pay them minimum wage. So there is a regulatory vacuum,” said Balaji Parthasarathy, Principal Investigator Fairwork India, IIIT Bangalore. Only bigbasket, Swiggy, and Urban Company earned a point for implementing a loss of pay policy offering a financial safety net during medical illnesses.

They along with Zomato also got a point for simplifying their insurance claims processes and for having operational emergency helplines on the platform interface.

On offering fair contracts, only seven platforms could earn any score.

Having a grievance redressal process earned five players a point but only Urban Company was found to have instituted regular, external audits to check for biases in its work allocation systems.

None were found to be lending an ear to the collective voice of the gig workers.

Parthasarathy pointed out that the cab aggregators’ market is driven by high levels of unemployment and underemployment.

“Opportunities provided by such platforms seem rather alluring…They work extremely long hours to ensure they get the money that they need to cover their EMI and daily needs,” he elaborated.

Vinay Sarathi of the United Food Delivery Partners’ Union said the companies force people to work 12-16 hours, but do not recognise them as workers. “Despite spending half the day on the platform, they find it difficult to earn a livelihood. Most of the companies do not have a grievance redressal cell,” he said.

“The National Law School of India University (Bengaluru) has highlighted the gaps in the law which has allowed companies to escape their responsibilities. The government needs to address them immediately,” he added.

While the study primarily focused on the three metro cities - Bengaluru, Delhi and Kochi, urbanisation has resulted in people in Tier-II cities opting to work for gig-platforms, increasing their network across the country.

“The shift is driven by limited work opportunities on one hand and rising disposable incomes on the other,” argued Parthasarathy.