The incident happened just before Raksha Bandhan. The society gate called to inform Mehndi Wallah had arrived. My daughter scheduled him through an app for 8:30pm, but he was running two hours late. When we opened the door, we encountered an overworked, exhausted man in front of us. We could gather he was in no position, physically or mentally, to perform this delicate task. My daughter offered him water and asked why he was so late.
He cracked under the emotional weight, complaining of overwork, long hours and constant threat of bad ratings. “When I used to work in the village, the earnings were less, but people respected me. Now, it seems I have turned into a machine,” he said.
Overwhelmed by his plight, my wife and daughter offered him dinner, but he declined with humility.
Our metropolises have turned into mirages where everyone is condemned to wander aimlessly. In the festive season, companies have initiated fresh hiring of workers. Companies providing such work expect to create 15-20%, or 250,000-300,000, more jobs.
The trend isn’t restricted to metropolitan cities. Even small towns, hilly towns and people living in the deep interior need more hands. However, we shouldn’t forget that these hirings are transient. The moment festive demand subsides, jobs will vanish too.
Companies hiring gig workers operate on the principle of ‘use and throw’. As soon as the festive and discount seasons of big companies end, incentives for the delivery partners are discontinued. Their app doesn’t provide them with new delivery stalls, and using technical jargon blocks their IDs.
Gig work has dealt a body blow to the humane side of employment. Even those who are constantly engaged in earning a living are subjected to inhuman stress. The pressure to deliver on time forces them to drive rashly, leading to accidents. According to Niti Aayog, 27% of gig workers in the country experience minor or major accidents. Muscle pain and other issues from constantly driving with heavy loads are common problems. Muscle soreness demands physical rest. However, if you don’t log in to the app for an extended period, you risk being blocked.
Still, gig workers are increasing by the day.
There were 7.7 million gig workers in India in 2021, according to Niti Aayog. In the last four years, the workforce has grown by 55%. The federal think tank estimates that over the next four years, the number will reach 23 million, accounting for 6.7% of the non-agriculture .
We need to keep in mind that 22-23% of this workforce is concentrated in the National Capital Region. Today, apart from Amazon, Zomato, Flipkart, and Swiggy, there are many regional that reach deep into the interiors and high mountains.
This new work culture has changed the face of the Indian labour market. Sparkling uniforms, clean taxis or bikes and direct bank transfers for quick payments look quite attractive from a distance. But it’s the illusion of formalization.
It has severed the human cord that held the humans and their work together. Earlier, there was a personal touch between the employer and employee. If need arose, the ‘malik’ would give an advance or help the worker meet medical emergencies. Today, labour management is hijacked by the opaque black box of algorithms. These algorithms decide who will earn and to what extent.
Gig workers also serve as useful tools for hiding actual unemployment. Many times, people with higher degrees turn to this work in the absence of any credible employment, as they don’t want to be labelled unemployed in society. Another dark side to the whole affair is the critical shortage of workers it’s creating in agriculture and small industries.
There’s a huge social angle to it, too. young don’t want to do ‘small jobs’ near their homes or their villages. Instead, they are willing to head to big cities and work in inhuman conditions of excessive duty.
It’s clear that problems for gig workers are piling up faster than the rate at which the number of gig workers is increasing. It’s time that, like Europe, in India too, we make tough laws and regulations to safeguard gig workers’ economic and social security. Rajasthan has shown the way. It’s time for the Centre and other states to carry the baton.
A progressive society runs on policies and regulations, and not on algorithms.
Shashi Shekhar is the editor-in-chief of Hindustan. Views are personal.