KT Rama Rao bats for protection of gig workers, gig economy

The Minister KT Rama Rao said as the journey in e-commerce business progressed, gig workers should also be taken care of

Hyderabad: Making a strong pitch for protection of gig workers and nurturing the gig economy with a unique model from Telangana that can become a case study and followed by the rest of the country, IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao on Tuesday called for a tripartite arrangement that would make this possible.

Speaking at Hyderabad after virtually launching e-commerce major Flipkart’s sixth and largest Fulfillment Centre at Sangareddy, the Minister said as the journey in e-commerce business progressed, gig workers should also be taken care of.

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“We should ensure that they feel secure, and their livelihoods, families are protected. It’s our duty to see to it that they are not affected by factors extraneous and beyond their control. We should build credibility, and aspiration among youngsters to work in the e-commerce sector,” he said, calling for the creation of a unique model that would serve as a statement from Telangana with the involvement of e-commerce giants like Flipkart, who, he said, had created 40,000 jobs in Telangana.

E-commerce is being redefined. People are talking about how there was work from home and now about gig economy, gig jobs and how ecommerce is creating newer opportunities and newer jobs, he said saying that Telangana should make a statement to the country that even gig workers would be taken care off.

This should be through a model that includes a tripartite arrangement, among the government, e-commerce companies, and marketing vendors and partners to safeguard the livelihoods of gig workers. As a market leader in India, Flipkart should lead this from the front, he said.

“Let’s create a unique model and ensure that the rest of India follows,” he said, adding that there was earlier a saying that ‘what Bengal does today, India does tomorrow’. “It has changed now. What Telangana does today, India does tomorrow,” he said, adding that the model should be a statement to the rest of the developing world as well and one that would serve as a case study.

Stressing that Telangana’s centricity made it an interesting option for being a logistics hub and various other activities to disseminate goods and services to eight States, the Minister called for a model for creating a workforce that was readily employable, which would not only benefit e-commerce giants but also the Retail Association of India.

Involving government agencies like Telangana Academy of Skills and Knowledge in creating a readily available workforce with necessary skillset would be in the best interest of the industry and the State as well. This way, companies can avoid training employees again for three to six months after recruitment, he said.

Explaining that in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, there was a strong women SHG network, which was part of Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty and MEPMA in urban areas, the Minister wanted Flipkart to explore possibilities of setting up a 100 percent women run Fulfillment Centre in Telangana at least in the day shift.

The Telangana government can permit e-commerce giants to work with SERP and MEPMA and create a win-win situation in creating an atmosphere for generating more jobs for women, especially from rural areas, he said.

Emphasizing on quality and compliance, the Minister said while Telangana government wants the industry to expand and create newer livelihood opportunities, it would certainly not compromise on workers’ rights and encourage any exploitation of any kind.