The Gig Economy
Video: Labour Violations in India’s Quick Commerce: What You Need to Know
What are the issues gig workers are facing in India’s rapidly growing quick commerce sector, with platforms like Zomato’s Blinkit, Swiggy’s Instamart, and Zepto? While these companies are seeing substantial growth, rising complaints from workers highlight serious concerns about exploitative practices. Recent protests and strikes have focused on issues such as low pay, long working hours, unsafe conditions, and unfair penalties. Notably, Blinkit deactivated the accounts of over 150 delivery partners after a strike in Varanasi.
Gig workforce in India to grow to 62 mn by 2047: Labour ministry study
Driven by technological advancements, shifting labour market preferences, and the growing need for flexible work arrangements, the gig and platform workforce in the country is expected to grow to nearly 62 million by 2047 — constituting nearly 15 per cent of the total non-agricultural workforce, a new study by a government-run think tank shows. The study by the labour ministry-affiliated VV Giri National Labour Institute (VVGNLI) used estimates from a 2022 NITI Aayog report on gig workers and applied the exponential smoothing Error, Trend, Seasonality model to make forecasts, as it gives more weight to recent observations.
In the Courts
State Has No Authority To Withhold Retiral Benefit Dues On Account Of Pending FIR When Challan Was Filed In 2005: Punjab & Haryana High Court
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed to release retiral benefits of a former police officer, withheld due to a pending FIR registered nearly two decades ago. The Court noted that the challan was presented before the Trial in 2005 and he is unable to get his retiral dues because of the pending FIR. "He cannot be held guilty for non-adjudication of the FIR," said the Court.
Women in the Workforce
Odisha’s women farmers export mangoes to Italy, reaping global rewards
From the orchards of central Odisha to cities across Europe, the mango export initiative led by women farmers has emerged as a story of quiet resilience and enterprise. With support from FPOs and institutional tie-ups, women in Dhenkanal are exporting Amrapali mangoes to Europe, marking a quiet agricultural success.
Hope steams up among Dharavi’s idli-makers over redevelopment plan
In makeshift kitchens tucked inside shanties, women like Alaguthai Thangapandi in the heart of Mumbai's Dharavi craft fresh idlis daily to feed the city. Sourcing ingredients meticulously, they face challenges like poor infrastructure and monsoon disruptions. As the Dharavi Redevelopment Project gains pace, the women are cautiously hopeful. "We want clear answers. Will we get better kitchens? Where will we go?..."If they give us proper homes and space to cook, we can make10 lakh idlis daily. Mumbai won't go hungry."
Domestic workers demand law to protect their rights
The workers believe that the first step in securing basic rights for domestic workers is to claim the title of a ‘worker’. Ahead of International Domestic Workers Day on June 16, three domestic workers’ unions addressed a press conference to demand better rights and pay on Friday.
Indian women care-giving activities up to 8 times that of men: report
The female labour force participation rate (LFPR) in India is significantly below the male participation rate and a major reason for this is that women in India bear a disproportionate responsibility for domestic and care-giving activities which is upto 8 times than that of men, according to a report by Goldman Sachs Research. The report ‘India Womenomics”: A Step Forward in a Long Journey Ahead’, assesses the current employment status of women in India and explores opportunities that lie ahead.
News from States
Bihar Commission Suggests Age Relaxation And Welfare Measures For Upper Caste Poor In Govt Jobs | Details
The newly formed commission for the development of upper castes in Bihar held its first meeting, advocating for age relaxation in government jobs for economically weaker sections among the upper castes. The commission also discussed the need for hostels and coaching facilities at the district level for students from economically weaker sections. Sub-committees have been formed to explore these issues further and examine the caste-based census report to determine how age relaxation can be implemented.
50,000 govt employees ‘not paid’, Madhya Pradesh begins probe
The Madhya Pradesh government has started investigating allegations that salaries of 50,000 government employees have not been paid for over six months as the finance department said it has begun a verification exercise. These employees have employee codes, but their salaries have not been drawn, raising suspicion about potential irregularities.
Students protest in Patna, demand domicile policy in govt jobs
Patna--Hundreds of students protested on Thursday in the state capital, demanding the implementation of a domicile policy in Bihar's government recruitment process. The students allege that Bihar lags behind other states like Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh, where such policies are already in place, ensuring preference for local candidates in government jobs. Protesters claimed that the absence of a similar policy in Bihar is contributing to rising unemployment and mass migration of youth from the state.
Climate Change and Workers
Tribals In Distress As Summer Snow Hits Livestock In Jammu And Kashmir Mountains
Srinagar: Untimely summer snow has severely hit pastoral communities in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in loss of livestock. For centuries, the nomadic Bakerwal communities have been practicing biannual migration between mountains and plains for grazing their livestock. Nearly 700,000 people are part of this practice now where they trek hundreds of kilometers, herding their livestock between alpine pastures in Kashmir and Ladakh. But Director Sheep Husbandry Kashmir Dr Rafiq Ahmad Shah said the pastoralists have returned from highland pastures to sub alpines after the untimely snow.
Labour Reforms
Naidu govt approves 10-hr workdays, night shifts for women in bid to attract more industry, investment
Hyderabad: The Chandrababu Naidu government, under the slogan ‘Speed of Doing Business’, has decided to extend minimum working hours for private employees, while also allowing women to work in night shifts, in a major labour reform move. The AP government has also proposed to increase the interval for rest to 6 hours from the current 5. The amendment bills are expected to be introduced in the next assembly session.
Andaman Revises Factory Work Spread-Over Limit to 12 Hours
In a move aimed at enhancing industrial productivity and aligning with Ease of Doing Business reforms, the Andaman and Nicobar Administration has issued a notification revising the daily spread-over limit for adult workers in factories. The order, issued under the proviso clause of Section 56 of the Factories Act, 1948, officially increases the spread-over duration—from the previous limit of ten and a half hours to twelve hours per day, inclusive of rest intervals as prescribed under Section 55 of the Act.
Cracking the labour code
With the Centre nudging states to implement the new labour codes, the reform goalpost seems to have shifted. it is pushing states to share the burden of implementation. But many, especially industries operating across state borders, are apprehensive that this will create an even more complex web of jurisdictions and laws.
Why the New Labour Codes Do Little for Indian Workers
The new labour codes – which merged 29 existing laws – primarily apply to the formal sector, leaving the vast majority of the Indian workforce outside its ambit.
Job Losses
Sharp decline in Pay-TV Subscriptions leads to 577,000 job losses: study
India's cable television industry is facing a significant downturn, with an estimated 577,000 job losses projected between 2018 and 2025. This decline is attributed to a shrinking pay-TV subscriber base, dropping from 151 million in 2018 to a projected 71-81 million by 2030, fueled by rising channel costs, OTT competition, and free services.
Sanitation workers protest termination at Patna airport
Patna: Hundreds of sanitation workers protested on the Patna's Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport premises on Saturday following their termination by a new contractor. A private company, which recently took over the contract, dismissed workers above 45 years of age without prior notice, just days after the inauguration of the airport's new terminal on May 29. They were engaged in the sanitation work at the airport and the terminal building.
Bonded Labour
India’s Fight Against Bonded Labour: A Tale Of Delayed Rehabilitation
Bilaspur and Bengaluru: Manoj Kumar Anant and his wife Shakuntala Bai were rescued from bonded labour at a brick kiln in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar in 2022. He had told IndiaSpend in September 2023 that he was waiting for rehabilitation assistance under the Union government’s Central Sector Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labour, 2021. Two years later Manoj is still waiting for the full rehabilitation assistance, he said, while bedridden in a hospital bed, his left arm paralysed after an accident in March this year. His case is not unique. IndiaSpend travelled to Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh and found that 10 others--all from the Scheduled Caste Satnami community in the state--who were rescued with Manoj and his wife from the same brick kiln in 2022 were waiting for assistance… the linking of rehabilitation of rescued bonded labourers with conviction of the accused in the central sector scheme is a problem for timely rehabilitation.
A death in the kiln
On the dusty outskirts of Mahemdavad, Gujarat, a three-year-old's death in a brick kiln peeled back the multiple layers of bonded labour, caste exploitation and official indifference that surrounded the tragedy. What followed was resistance, fear and a fight for workers’ dignity… There are no written agreements, no legal protection in practice, little monitoring by government authorities such as labour inspectors and district officials or any formal mechanism responsible for checking and regulating conditions at kilns.
Working Conditions
In furnace-like factories, the struggle for water and wage
Workers in spinning mills suffer from headaches, dehydration, infections and worse due to intense heat, poor ventilation and a lack of cooling, with little access to health services or time off.