Gig workers must log 90 days a year to access social security under draft rules

NEW DELHI: Gig and platform workers will need to complete a minimum of 90 days of work in a year to qualify for social security benefits under the draft rules released by the Centre to implement the four labour codes, according to officials familiar with the framework.

- MPOST BUREAU

The requirement is intended to set clear eligibility criteria as the government moves to extend statutory protections to workers in the app-based economy.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment has notified draft rules under 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. The rules propose that gig workers engaged with a single aggregator for at least 90 days in the previous financial year will be eligible for social security coverage. Those working across multiple aggregators will qualify if they complete at least 120 days in aggregate during the same period.