The Platform Question: Power, Accountability and Global South From your union’s experience, how responsive are platforms when workers demand accountability, and what tactics have proven most effective in pushing back? Our experience shows that platforms are generally unresponsive and defensive when it comes to worker demands. They engage with government agencies and investors readily, but not with the workers who make their profits possible. Most grievances, whether about unfair deactivation, delayed payments, or incentive cutsare handled through automated chatbots or customer service centers that provide no meaningful resolution. However, through years of organizing, we have learned that collective pressure works, even in the digital economy. Platforms may ignore individuals, but they cannot ignore thousands of voices united under a common demand. The Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) has successfully used a mix of strategies: • Our experience shows that platforms are generally unresponsive and defensive when it comes to worker demands. They engage with government agencies and investors readily, but not with the workers who make their profits possible. 108 • • • Public campaigns and protests: Peaceful protests, press conferences, and social media campaigns such as #SelfieWithSeatBelt and #RejectUnfairIncentives #MakeAmazonPay #Driverlifematters #NoAC Campaign #BoyCottAirport #LowFareNoAir etc. have drawn public and media attention to worker issues, forcing platforms to respond. Engagement with government departments: By bringing evidence and testimonies directly to the Labour Department, Transport Department, and now to legislative committees, we have ensured that worker concerns reach policymakers who can hold platforms accountable. Legal advocacy: Through IFAT, we have filed petitions before various High Courts and the Supreme Court seeking recognition of gig workers as employees and inclusion under social security laws. Litigation has become an important tool to challenge corporate impunity. Solidarity and education: We invest heavily in building unity among drivers and delivery workers through training sessions, WhatsApp groups, and district-level meetings. An informed worker base is harder to exploit. Platforms often respond only when public or regulatory pressure The Gig Economy and Platform Workers: A View from the Ground The Platform Question: Power, Accountability and Global South mounts. For example, after sustained advocacy, Ola and Uber agreed to introduce in-app emergency buttons and basic accident insurance—small but meaningful victories achieved through collective struggle. Yet, the overall responsiveness remains minimal. Hence, we are now focusing on institutional mechanisms, such as mandatory representation of worker unions in state-level gig worker welfare boards, to ensure ongoing dialogue. Do existing labour codes and government regulations adequately protect gig and platform workers, or are urgent policy reforms needed? India’s new Code on Social Security, 2020 was a step in the right direction, it recognizes “gig workers” and “platform workers” as distinct categories for the first time. However, the Code’s provisions remain vague and unenforceable. It does not grant gig workers the status of employees or ensure binding employer contributions to social security. Instead, it creates a voluntary framework dependent on the goodwill of platforms and the discretion of the government. The Code envisages a Social Security Fund financed through a 1-2% contribution from aggregators’ annual turnover, but the rules for collection, management, and distribution are still pending implementation in most states. Without a functioning mechanism, the recognition of gig and Platform workers remains symbolic. We need a comprehensive legislative framework that moves beyond token acknowledgment and guarantees concrete rights. Key reforms should include: 1. Employee Status or Dependent Worker Category: Recognize gig workers as “dependent contractors” entitled to minimum wages, social security, and the right to unionize. 2. Mandatory Social Security Contributions: Enforce a joint contribution model where platforms contribute a fixed percentage toward workers’ provident fund, insurance, and pensions. The Gig Economy and Platform Workers: A View from the Ground We need a comprehensive legislative framework that moves beyond token acknowledgment and guarantees concrete rights. 109