Karnataka gig workers seek implementation of welfare schemes

Gig workers’ unions on Sunday urged Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers Welfare Board to adopt welfare schemes for platform workers, saying benefits promised under the law have yet to reach them.

In a letter to the board’s chief executive officer, Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT) and Karnataka App-based Workers Union (KAWU) sought immediate rollout of health and accident insurance, income support during medical emergencies and temporary disablement, maternity benefits, scholarships for children of platform workers and an emergency distress fund.

They have also sought portable pension, life insurance and retirement benefits that continue when workers change platforms or locations.


The unions said there was an urgent need to provide social security to nearly 700,000 active gig workers in the state, citing income shocks and health emergencies they faced and the lack of accident protection.

They noted that aggregators had deposited welfare fees due under the law before the Karnataka High Court and urged the board to use the funds for the benefit of gig workers. The unions said no stay had been granted by the court and sought an urgent meeting of the board to formally adopt the welfare schemes.

They also urged the board to invite worker representatives and other stakeholders for consultations to ensure the schemes address the concerns of platform workers.

This comes amid the state having passed the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Act, 2025 to create a statutory safety net for gig workers in the state.

The law has been challenged in the Karnataka High Court by aggregators including Swiggy, Zomato and Uber, which have opposed the mandatory welfare fee imposed on platforms. The court has not stayed the law but has directed the platforms to deposit the welfare fees with the court pending the case.