Indian Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has recently endorsed the draft law prepared by the Telangana government for the protection of gig workers. Still, he also urged the state government to consult people all over Telangana for improving the bill.
Gandhi appealed to Telangana Chief Minister K. Revanth Reddy to bring all the stakeholders into the dialogue in order to make the law solid and properly responsive to the needs of gig workers. That is why, in a letter to Reddy, Rahul Gandhi agreed to participate in this process, stating that only after hearing from all the parties will the law become meaningful and the basis for further regulation in the sector be laid.
Gandhi credited increased flexibility as the reason for millions of workers flocking to the gig economy over the last few years. But he noted that the lack of regulations places workers in risky situations including unfair work terms, low wages, as well as poor systems for addressing worker’s grievances. He noted that it is exactly why the proposed law should address these problems adequately to protect gig workers’ rights while applying unfair treatment if the following situations occur.
He also spoke about the Congress party’s focus on protecting the rights of workers, especially the ones in the contractual working and gig economy job market. Speaking of Congress-ruled states, Gandhi said that the party had put the efforts to safeguard the gig workers and gave an example of Rajasthan. The Congress government in Rajasthan became the first to bring a bill to the table to protect the welfare of gig economy workers in 2023.
Gandhi also said that he was impressed with the consultation done in Telangana, especially on the caste survey. He said that that was a good model to follow in order to make the lawmakers understand the feelings of the people, an avenue which he should propose to be followed in the law giving for the gig workers. He stated that he was optimistic that Telangana, along with Congress leadership, was capable of setting up a concrete and non-exploitative gig economy for the future.
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