The Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission (SPC) has proposed policy measures to improve the livelihood, social security, and working conditions of gig workers in the State.
In its latest study, ‘Status of Platform Based Gig Workers in Tamil Nadu,’ it highlights the rapid expansion of platform-based work and calls for targeted interventions to ensure welfare, protection, and long-term sustainability for these workers.
“The Tamil Nadu government may introduce legal protections to enable workers to form unions for collective bargaining and representation. These unionised spaces can also serve to raise workers’ awareness of their rights. It may establish specially designed Social Security Funds and strategically utilise the existing resource allocations for welfare schemes, wherever applicable, to cover a wider range of benefits, including health insurance, maternity support, pensions, disability coverage, and accidental death benefits,” according to the report.
It has also recommended the creation of a task force to regularly review gig economy policies, collecting feedback from workers, platforms, and civil society organisations. Another area of importance is training. The government can collaborate with aggregators to offer subsidised training in areas such as digital literacy, financial management, and specific sector skills. “This initiative, inspired by Jharkhand’s model, can improve the capabilities of gig workers and bolster their economic resilience in a swiftly changing labour market,” it says.
