Published Apr 29, 2026 | 11:00 AM ⚊ Updated Apr 29, 2026 | 11:00 AM
Gig workers. (Representational/ iStock)
Synopsis: Gig and platform workers across India continue to work long hours in extreme heat, with little access to rest, water or incentives, as temperatures soar across cities. The Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers has written to the Centre seeking binding heat protections, including paid breaks and access to cooling and hydration during alerts.
It is 4 pm in Bengaluru. The baking summer and its infamous traffic are at their peaks. Still, Dileep Kumar Yadav, in his 30s, has not a moment’s rest as he rushes to pick up deliveries from a nondescript warehouse in Shantinagara for a drop some 5 kilometres away in Chikpet.
The warehouse has no place for delivery workers to rest or even park their vehicles. Drivers waiting for pickups crowd the entrance.
Like many gig and platform workers in the city, Yadav’s day starts around 8 am and can stretch to 11 pm. His work should be limited to deliveries within a three-kilometre radius, but most orders go much farther.
Now, an unprecedented summer heatwave across India has made already abysmal working conditions more dangerous.
“We face difficulties delivering in the heat; we have to stand in traffic for so long. We don’t receive any incentives for delivering in the heat,” Yadav told South First.
On 21 April, the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) wrote to the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, seeking binding national heatwave protections for gig and platform workers under the Code on Social Security, 2020.
The federation asked for paid breaks during IMD-declared orange and red alerts, and mandatory access to drinking water, cooling shelters, and oral rehydration salts (ORS) drinks.
This is “a public health necessity, and a matter of dignity for millions of workers powering the platform economy,” the federation said in its letter.
Across India, cities are in the grip of an extreme heatwave, with temperatures in several regions reaching 40°C to 45°C. Ninety-eight of the 100 hottest cities are in India, according to the weather platform AQI.in.
In its long-range forecast in February, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said Karnataka could see two heatwave periods in April and May, lasting up to six days.
The IMD has warned that exposure to extreme heat can lead to severe health complications, including dehydration, exhaustion and weakness. Daily wage workers, street vendors and gig workers are among the most exposed.
National General Secretary Shaik Salauddin of the IFAT told South First that gig workers have no choice but to continue working despite the risks.
“Long hours on the road, traffic congestion, lack of shaded rest areas, and pressure to complete more trips or deliveries worsen the risk,” he said.
Also Read: Karnataka to drop sugar disclosure on beer labels; brewers relieved, health experts wary
Ain-ul-Haq, another gig worker in Shantinagar, said platforms often punish drivers for taking breaks by cutting incentives.
“We can’t even go inactive for 10 to 15 minutes, even by mistake. We have to eat within 10 minutes,” he told South First. “They are not giving us extra money for working in the heat; they are sending us to deliver to faraway places.”
Yadav said platform support teams offer no help when workers ask for a break.
“If we call them, they say we have to make the delivery,” he said. “There should be access to water at frequent intervals, and if we bring orders back, we should get our money because we go; it is the customer who cancels the order at the end.”
The IFAT has urged the Union Government to introduce safeguards against penalties, ID blocks or reduced incentives if workers pause due to extreme heat. It also called for in-app distress systems and flexible work timings.
Drivers also deal with rude customers and often have to climb several floors in offices and apartment complexes after being denied access to lifts.
Also Read: Taxing clean mobility? Karnataka’s EV tax faces pushback from buyers, experts
The IFAT, in its letter, pointed to examples from countries including South Korea, Singapore, France, Japan, California (USA) and the UAE, which have enforceable workplace heat protections. It said India must act as soon as possible.
Section 16 of the Karnataka Platform Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Act, 2025 mandates that aggregators provide reasonable working conditions, defined as environments that are safe and pose no risk to workers’ health.
The law also requires platforms to ensure adequate rest periods during the workday and week. The IFAT referred to the National Disaster Management Authority’s (NDMA) advisory for gig workers, but said it is only recommendatory and cannot be enforced.
It has called for these provisions to be made enforceable so minimum standards apply uniformly during extreme heat events.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
