The Platform Question: Power, Accountability and Global South 3. Fair Contracts: Standardize terms of service to prevent unilateral changes by platforms and include clauses for dispute resolution. 4. Representation and Grievance Boards: Establish statelevel Gig and Platform Worker Welfare Boards with elected worker representatives to oversee implementation of welfare schemes. 5. Data Transparency and Worker Rights: Recognize data generated by workers as a form of labour and protect their digital rights, including access to performance and earnings data. When platforms first entered the Indian market around 2013– 2015, they offered attractive incentives and high earnings to rapidly expand their workforce. Many drivers and delivery partners took loans to purchase vehicles, believing they were entering a path of upward mobility. Initially, monthly incomes ranged between Rs.40,000– Rs.70,000, enough to support families and repay debts. But as platforms achieved market dominance, incentive structures were systematically reduced 110 Some states, like Rajasthan and Karnataka, have already proposed progressive bills to regulate platform work and ensure social security coverage. Telangana has also initiated consultations with stakeholders, including TGPWU and IFAT, toward drafting a policy framework. These are encouraging developments, but national-level implementation remains essential to ensure uniformity and prevent exploitation across state borders. Platforms often claim about creating jobs and opportunities. But when you look at the everyday lived realities of gig workers in Telangana and India, does that narrative really hold up? That is correct, platform companies are often found claiming that they are “creating jobs” and “empowering youth with flexible opportunities.” On the surface, this narrative sounds appealing, especially in a country where unemployment and underemployment are chronic issues. However, the lived reality of gig workers in Telangana and across India tells a very different story. When platforms first entered the Indian market around 2013–2015, they offered attractive incentives and high earnings to rapidly expand their workforce. Many drivers and delivery partners took loans to purchase vehicles, believing they were entering a path of upward mobility. Initially, monthly incomes ranged between Rs.40,000– Rs.70,000, enough to support families and repay debts. But as platforms achieved market dominance, incentive structures were systematically reduced. Today, after deducting fuel costs, commissions, and The Gig Economy and Platform Workers: A View from the Ground The Platform Question: Power, Accountability and Global South maintenance, most drivers take home less than Rs. 15,000– Rs.20,000 per month, often below minimum wage levels. Flexibility, another major selling point, has also proven illusory. In practice, workers are compelled to work 12–14 hours a day to earn a subsistence income. Algorithms penalize inactivity or trip rejection, pushing workers into a state of digital servitude. The supposed freedom of “choosing your hours” has turned into the compulsion of “working endlessly to survive.” In Telangana, we see these contradictions daily. Many gig and Platform workers struggle with loan defaults, mental stress, and health issues due to long working hours and lack of social protection. During the COVID-19 pandemic, platforms abandoned workers almost overnight, no earnings, no safety equipment, and no support. It was only through the collective efforts of unions and civil society that emergency relief reached some of them. This experience exposed the myth of platform benevolence. These are not job-creation platforms, in fact they are digital intermediaries that extract labour value without employment responsibility. The real contribution of platforms lies not in generating secure livelihoods but in making labour into an on-demand commodity. That said, gig work can indeed offer opportunities if governed fairly. Digital platforms have the potential to connect workers to demand efficiently, reduce barriers to entry, and promote entrepreneurship. But this potential will only be realized when the rules of the game are fair, and when workers share in the economic value they create. For that, India will have to adopt a worker-centered vision of the platform economy, one that prioritizes rights, dignity, and sustainability over profit maximization of some. “If you could sum up the message that gig workers in India are sending to governments and platforms today, what would it be?” The struggle of gig and platform workers in India is not only about wages or benefits, but it is about recognition and justice. It is about questioning the nature of employment in the digital age. The platforms’ claim of being “technology companies” rather than “employers” cannot be used to erase fundamental labour rights. Our unions, TGPWU in Telangana The Gig Economy and Platform Workers: A View from the Ground Algorithms penalize inactivity or trip rejection, pushing workers into a state of digital servitude. The supposed freedom of “choosing your hours” has turned into the compulsion of “working endlessly to survive.” 111