Telangana Gig Workers’ Union Seeks Roll Out Of Govt-Run Ride Hailing App

The Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) has reportedly urged roll out of a government-run ride hailing app. 

As per BusinessLine, TGPWU wants the app to provide an alternative to private platforms.

The union also demanded the government to bring out legislation for the protection of the rights of gig and platform workers and creation of a welfare board to gain access to social security benefits, fair wages and transparent fare regulation, the report said.

Shaik Salauddin, TGPWU founder and president, has asked the state government to prioritise the drafting and introduction of the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers (Rights and Welfare) Bill, 2024.

Salauddin also welcomed Rahul Gandhi’s letter to chief minister A Revanth Reddy, urging him to adopt a comprehensive policy for gig and platform workers, based on the report.

This comes a month after the labour and employment ministry was known to have begun working on a framework for social security of gig workers slated to be rolled out early 2025.

Additionally, the Ministry of Labour and Employment also called on platform aggregators to register their workers on the e-Shram portal, in September, and once they are registered it will allow the gig and platform workers the access to key social security benefits.

Meanwhile, it is pertinent to note that ride-hailing companies Ola and Uber and logistics startup Porter have scored zero points on Fairwork’s India’s ratings for the working conditions of gig workers.

This development also comes at a time when there have been strikes in various parts of the country against private ride-hailing companies such as Ola and Uber.

For instance, in October, drivers of cab aggregators Ola and Uber went on a strike in Chennai, demanding fare regulation and a ban on bike taxi services that they believe are eroding their earnings. They were also seeking a resolution to the issue of high commissions charged by these aggregators, which they claim are affecting their livelihoods.

Prior to that, in August, auto and taxi drivers in Delhi NCR launched a two-day strike to protest against app-based cab services like Ola and Uber, where the dominance of these private apps has led to reduced income and customers of traditional drivers, and they claim to be significantly impacting their livelihoods.