The Ministry of Labour and Employment has unveiled draft rules for the four labour codes, extending benefits to gig workers such as minimum wage, health, safety, and social security coverage. Stakeholders are invited to provide feedback on these rules, with the government planning to implement them nationwide from April 1. To qualify for benefits, gig workers must be linked with an aggregator for a minimum period, set at 90 days for social security benefits, and 120 days if associated with multiple aggregators.
The notification, dated December 30, 2025, was issued a day before gig and platform workers initiated a flash strike demanding better wages and working conditions. The rules define worker engagement based on daily income earned from aggregators, regardless of the amount. If a worker is engaged with multiple aggregators on the same day, each engagement is counted separately. The draft also outlines the calculation method for minimum wages based on daily, hourly, and monthly rates.
The four labour codes, including the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, were introduced simultaneously. Employers are now mandated to issue appointment letters to all workers, ensuring transparency, job security, and fixed employment, a requirement absent previously. The Code on Social Security, 2020, guarantees social security coverage to all workers, encompassing gig and platform workers, offering benefits like PF, ESIC, and insurance.
Under the Code on Wages, 2019, all workers will receive statutory minimum wage payments, enhancing financial security. The rules consider geographical factors, employment experience, and skill levels when determining minimum wage rates for unskilled, semiskilled, skilled, and highly skilled categories. Previously, minimum wages were limited to specific industries, leaving many workers without coverage.
