NEW DELHI: A piece of good news for gig workers, who held a nationwide strike on Christmas and New Year, demanding fair pay, humane working conditions and social security.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment on Tuesday released draft rules called the Code on Social Security (Central) Rules, 2025, offering social security and registration to gig workers.
Gig workers forgo dignity, safety in quest for a living. Gig workers are individuals who perform short-term, flexible jobs, often called “gigs,” outside traditional long-term employment, working as independent contractors or freelancers for various clients or platforms. They range from ride-share drivers and food delivery personnel to freelance writers, designers, and consultants, earning money project-by-project rather than a regular salary, and often utilizing digital platforms to find work. In Hindi, पूर्णकालिक नौकरी के बजाय, जिसे टुकड़ों में (gig) किया जाता है
Here are 10 key points from the draft rules:
–To be eligible for social security benefits such as health, life and personal accident insurance, gig workers will have to be engaged with a single aggregator for at least 90 days.
–For workers associated with multiple aggregators, including food delivery and ride-hailing service providers, the minimum requirement is 120 days in a financial year.
–A worker will be considered engaged with an aggregator from the day they start earning, regardless of the amount. Each calendar day on which income is earned will count towards eligibility.
–In case a worker is engaged with multiple aggregators on the same day, it will be counted separately. Meaning, if a gig worker works for three aggregators on the same day, it will be counted as three days.
—Gig workers above 16 years of age will have to register using their Aadhaar number and other required documents.
–Aggregators will be required to share the details of gig workers or platform workers on a central portal for the generation of a Universal Account Number or unique ID.
–Every eligible registered worker will be issued an identity card – digital or physical – bearing their photograph and other details. The card will be downloadable from the designated central portal.
–The Central Government shall designate an officer or an agency as the authority responsible for collecting and expanding the contributions from the aggregators. The contribution collected shall be maintained as part of the Social Security Fund in a separate account meant for gig workers or platform workers.
–Any registered worker will cease to be eligible for the benefits of social security schemes when they attain the age of 60 or when they are not engaged with any of the aggregators for a period not less than 90 days, or in case of multiple aggregators, for a period not less than 120 days in the last financial year.
–The Central Government shall nominate five members from gig workers and platform workers, on a rotation basis, representing various categories of gig workers and platform workers in the National Social Security Board for unorganised workers.
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