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India abstains as ILO adopts first global treaty on gig workers’ rights
India abstains as ILO adopts first global treaty on gig workers’ rights
India abstained from voting on the International Labour Organization's Convention 193, the first binding global treaty on platform work, during the International Labour Conference in Geneva on June 12. The convention, adopted…
The Story in Brief
India abstained from voting on the International Labour Organization's Convention 193, the first binding global treaty on platform work, during the International Labour Conference in Geneva on June 12. The convention, adopted with 406 votes in favour, eight against, and 36 abstentions, establishes baseline rights for gig workers including minimum pay, occupational safety, social security, and transparency of algorithmic management. India's government representative abstained while its employer and worker delegates voted in favour.
The convention addresses core issues facing India's 7.7 million gig workers, projected to reach 2.35 crore by 2029-30. NITI Aayog data shows 39 per cent of these workers earn between Rs 10,000-25,000 monthly and only about 15 per cent have any social security. India's existing Code on Social Security defines gig workers but its welfare fund mechanism remains unimplemented, while states like Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Telangana have moved ahead with their own legislation.
The Indian Opinion
Two competing narratives surround India's abstention from the ILO's Convention 193. One paints the government as a worker's enemy, ignoring the 7.7 million gig workers earning meagre sums. The alternative praises India's existing Social Security Code, yet that law remains largely unoperationalised, with no specified benefits or contribution mechanisms. The real test is not which treaty India signs, but whether the promised social security fund will actually deliver accident cover, sick pay, or pensions to a delivery worker in Chennai. Until that happens, abstention in Geneva looks less like principled diplomacy and more like a comfortable delay.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
