BENGALURU: To protect the rights of gig workers and offer them social and income security, the state government has released a draft of the Karnataka Platform-based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill-2024 and invited objections, if any.
The draft includes clauses for occupational safety and health (OSH) standards that companies have to adhere to. One of the key requirements is that firms operating as food and service aggregators in the state will have to register with the state’s labour department, ensuring that there is no unjust dismissal of gig workers and that they are provided with dispute resolution. Under the draft bill, the government will also offer grievance redressal to the workers. The labour department will set up a welfare board and a welfare fund for the workers, stated the draft bill released on Saturday.
“The aggregators shall provide to the board its database of all gig workers onboarded or registered with them within 60 days from the date of commencement of this Act in such manner as may be specified in the regulations,” stated the 16-page draft bill. The department will then register and generate a unique ID for every gig worker who is onboarded by one or more aggregators operating in Karnataka.
It will also look into automated monitoring and enhance transparency in algorithmic management and decision-making systems.
The new legislation also proposes a fee that will be levied on either the transaction cost of each aggregator or their annual turnover in the state to form the welfare fund. The government also plans on seeking views from tax experts on managing the “cess” collected. If Karnataka passes the gig workers welfare bill, it would be the second state to do so after Rajasthan in 2023. The government has invited objections and suggestions till July 9.