IFAT Presses Centre Enforce Social Security Code For Gig Workers
Five years had passed since the code was enacted but no scheme had been brought into operation: IFAT
HYDERABAD: The Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) has called on the Centre to put the Social Security Code, 2020 into effect without further delay. According to them, over two crore gig and platform workers were being denied their right to social protection.
In a formal representation to Union labour minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, the union said the code was passed to recognise gig and platform workers for the first time and to give them access to benefits such as life and disability cover, accident insurance, health and maternity care, and old-age protection.
According to IFAT, five years had passed since the code was enacted but no scheme had been brought into operation. The union said this had left millions of drivers, delivery workers and home-service providers without a basic safety net.
It added that the Social Security Code was meant to provide dignity and justice to an expanding workforce that remains outside the purview of formal labour laws. “More than two crore app-based workers continue to work without formal rights, minimum safety nets, or institutional support,” the union stated, adding that immediate action was needed to uphold their welfare.
The representation acknowledged efforts by some states that have brought their own laws for gig and platform workers but said such measures are scattered and unequal. IFAT said a single national law is needed to provide uniform protection across the country.
The union urged the ministry to operationalise the code’s pending provisions by setting up the National Welfare Board for Gig and Platform Workers and the Social Security Fund with contributions from aggregators.