AAP MP calls draft rules ‘small win’ for gig workers; labour unions say ‘nothing new’

Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha dubbed the Centre’s draft Social Security Rules a “small win”. His claim has triggered a debate, with unions saying there is nothing new to celebrate yet.

Chadha wrote to platform workers in a post on X, “There is good news for you. Central Government’s draft Social Security Rules are the first step towards recognition, protection and dignity for your work. Even though the Platforms (Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, etc.) chose not to listen to your voices, the people of this country and the government did. This is a small win, but an important win.”

Soon after the post, policy experts, platform executives and worker groups pushed back, saying the Social Security Code that forms the base of the draft rules was passed long ago and that the current move is part of an ongoing process and does not constitute a fresh political win. The Social Security Code, 2020, which legally recognises gig and platform workers, was passed by Parliament nearly four years ago. It allows the government to frame welfare schemes covering life and disability insurance, accident cover, health and maternity benefits and old-age protection.

In December 2024, the Ministry of Labour and Employment told the Rajya Sabha that estimates of gig workers were based on a 2022 NITI Aayog report. The report put the number of gig and platform workers at 7.7 million in 2020–21, with projections of 23.5 million by 2029–30. The government also said platform companies had been advised to register themselves and their workers on the e-Shram portal, which was expanded in October 2024 to act as a single access point for welfare schemes.

Recently, Chadha had raised the issues of gig workers in the Parliament.

Reacting to Chadha’s tweet, Info Edge founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani said platform companies have been in discussions with the Centre and several state governments for years on framing rules for gig worker welfare. He said some states had already passed laws and that the effort has been underway for about five years.

Trade unions cautioned that the draft rules should not be oversold.

Nitesh Kumar Das, Organising Secretary of the Gig Workers Association (GigWA), said recognition is welcome but warned that social security cannot depend only on worker contributions. “The government must commit public funding, along with mandatory contributions from platforms,” he said. He added that long working hours, road safety and health risks remain unaddressed. He also said many gig workers are excluded from insurance due to technical reasons, such as using personal vehicles for work.

Nirmal Gorana, National Coordinator of the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU), said there was “nothing new” in the current draft. “Gig and platform workers were proposed to be included in the Social Security Code from as early as 2017, and the code itself was passed in 2020,” he said. Gorana added that real benefits would depend on whether gig workers are recognised as ‘workers’ under the wage code. On maternity benefits, he said expecting the same 26-week leave given to formal sector workers “looks unrealistic”, and warned that celebrating the draft rules could be misleading. As public comments on the draft rules are invited, the focus, according to unions, should be on implementation, not announcements.