Like America, in India too, workers working 2, 3, 4 or 5 hours a day in companies like Amazon, Zomato, Ola and Uber will start getting the benefits of ESI, EPF and Accidental Insurance. The Labor Ministry has prepared a draft in this regard and sent it to the Finance Ministry for financial approval.
Benefits for unorganized sector workers: Modi government is going to give good news to the unorganized sector workers, delivery boys working part time in e-commerce companies like Amazon, Flipkart, Zomato, Swiggy and Ola-Uber drivers. These workers doing jobs through contract or third party will now get the benefit of ESI and Accidental Insurance. The central government is going to bring gig and platform worker law very soon. In such a situation, delivery boys and drivers working 2, 3, 4 or 5 hours daily in these companies will now get all kinds of benefits under the Employees State Provident Fund Scheme. According to the e-Shram portal, the number of gig workers i.e. workers working on freelance or third party contacts in the country is currently around 10 crores.
Till now, laborers working in unorganized sectors, agriculture sector and shops for 2 to 4 hours daily did not get any kind of benefit. These laborers will now start getting the benefits of facilities like EPF and ESIC. These workers have more working hours, but neither do they get salary accordingly nor do they get the benefits of job security, insurance or accident insurance pension.
Laborers who work 2, 3 or 4 hours a day will get benefits like this
Like America, now in India too such laborers will get the benefit of Accidental Insurance along with ESI. Recently, the Labor Ministry has prepared a draft and sent it to the Finance Ministry for financial approval. It is believed that the Modi government can present this law in the next budget session of the Parliament. After the introduction of the Gig and Platform Labor Act, these workers will start getting many types of benefits. For example, they will be guaranteed security in return for their work; their families will get the benefit of accident insurance. Working hours will be fixed.
According to an official of the Labor Ministry, after the enactment of this law, 10 crore people will directly benefit. Especially people doing part time jobs in companies like Ola, Uber, Amazon, Flipkart or Zomato will directly benefit from this. It has been mentioned in the new law that if a person works for at least 90 hours, 120 hours or 160 hours in a month in these companies, then the benefit of ESI and accidental insurance will be decided according to the hours worked.
Lives of 10 crore people will change
Demand for this law was rising in many states of the country. Last year, the Rajasthan government also implemented the Gig Workers Act 2023 in its state. There is talk of such a law in Maharashtra also. Even in Delhi, drivers of app-based companies like Ola-Uber had made a demand to the Delhi government regarding this.
After the implementation of this law in the country, gig workers will also get social and economic rights. At present, there is no concrete law in India under which gig workers can claim benefits like minimum wages, working hours, overtime, leave etc. in the court. In India, foreign companies like Amazon, Ola, Uber and Flipkart do not recruit gig workers directly but employ them through third parties i.e. contractors. In such a situation, now even in India, foreign e-commerce companies will be forced to provide the benefits of ESI and accidental insurance on hourly basis to the workers appointed through third parties i.e. contractors.
