Lok Sabha Question No. 308 (STARRED), answered on 2021-12-20
Subject: Minimum Wage for Gig Workers
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Sanganna Amarappa Karadi, L.S. Tejasvi Surya

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. 308

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2021

## MINIMUM WAGE FOR GIG WORKERS

*308. SHRI SANGANNA AMARAPPA: SHRI L.S. TEJASVI SURYA:

Will  the  Minister  of  LABOUR  AND  EMPLOYMENT  be  pleased  to state:

- (a)whether  the  Government  has  considered  or  is  considering  any proposal to introduce minimum wages for gig workers and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)the  relief  measures  put  in  the  Government's  labour  codes  for  gig workers  carrying  out  their  duties  in  harsh  conditions  like  rain, storm, cold, heat, etc.;
- (c)whether the Government is cognizant of the fact that any introduction of minimum wages will hamper the economic models of companies/startups which are dependent on gig workers and if so, the details of any study or consultation done by the Government in this regard; and
- (d)whether the Government  is maintaining or is considering to maintain any registry for gig workers and if so, the details of such a proposal or details of the number of registrations in such a registry?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI BHUPENDER YADAV)

(a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF THE LOK SABHA  STARRED  QUESTION  NO.  308  FOR  ANSWER  ON  20.12.2021 REGARDING  MINIMUM  WAGE  FOR  GIG  WORKERS  BY  SHRI  SANGANNA AMARAPPA and SHRI L.S. TEJASVI SURYA.

(a): The  Code  on  Wages,  2019,  provides  for  universal  minimum  wage and  floor  wage  across  organized  and  unorganized  sector  which  include gig workers. It, inter alia, provides for fixation of minimum rate wages on a  time  work  basis  with  any  one  or  more  wage  periods,  namely  by  the hour, by the day or by the month. Besides, the Code mandates the Central Government to fix floor wage applicable across the Central and the State sphere.    Section  9  of  the  Code  lays  down  that  the  minimum  rates  of wages fixed by the appropriate Government under section 6 shall not be less than the floor wage. The said provisions of the Code on Wages, 2019, have not come into force.

(b): The Code on Social Security, 2020, recognises gig workers as a new occupational category. It  defines  gig  worker  as  a  person  who  performs work or participates in work arrangement and earns from such activities, outside  of  the  traditional  employer-employee  relationship.  The  Code envisages various benefits to gig and platform workers through formulation of schemes including (i) life and disability cover; (ii) accident insurance; (iii)  health  and  maternity  benefits;  (iv)  old-age  protection;  (v) crèche and other benefits as may  be  determined by the Central Government. The provisions of the Code have not come into force.

(c): Payment  of  minimum  wages  is  a  statutory  requirement  under  the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, and the Code on Wages, 2019.

(d): The  Central  Government,  on  26.08.2021,  has  launched  e-SHRAM Portal which  is  a  National  Database  of  the  Unorganised  Workers including gig workers. It has been made available to the States/ UTs for registration  of  unorganised  workers  including  gig  workers  on  e-SHRAM portal. All eligible registered unorganised workers including gig workers are  entitled  to  get  benefit  of  an  accidental  insurance  cover  of  Rs.  2.0 Lakh  for  a  year  free  of  cost  through  Pradhan  Mantri  Suraksha  Bima Yojana (PMSBY). One of the key objectives of the portal is to deliver the benefits of Social Security Schemes of the Central Government and the State Governments through e-SHRAM portal to the unorganized workers including  gig  workers.  Number  of  gig  workers  registered  on  e-SHRAM portal as on 14.12.2021 is 7,27,927.

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