CPI(M) Calls for Legislation to Secure Gig Workers’ Rights

Quick Summary

• CPI(M) leader A.A. Rahim raised concerns in the Rajya Sabha on March 19, 2025, about the exploitation faced by gig workers and urged legislation to ensure their basic rights.
• he pointed out that app-based companies deny delivery personnel recognition as workers, depriving them of salaries and fair payment structures due to opaque algorithms.
• Rahim emphasized the lack of legal mechanisms for fairness and called for physical centers to address grievances.
• TMC member Md Nadimul Haque highlighted in Parliament the need to remove 18% GST on life and health insurance products, citing financial strain on IndiaS middle class and inadequate insurance penetration (4% compared to 7% globally).

Indian Opinion Analysis

The issues raised highlight ongoing employment challenges in India’s growing gig economy and taxation pressures on essential services like insurance. The demand for recognizing gig workers’ rights addresses an critically important gap where technological frameworks burden labor without openness or adequate safeguards-a concern impacting millions of urban-rural participants reliant on such jobs.

Similarly, removing GST from life/health insurance could spur affordability but depends heavily on intergovernmental consensus within a polarized GST Council structure. These policy discussions underline balancing economic growth with equitable workforce protections while reducing middle-class financial stress.

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