46.9% gig workers suffered dehydration, sunburn, heat oedema, skin issues, and gastrointestinal issues & 30.12% suffered a heat stroke.
Published Aug 19, 2024 | 11:28 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 21, 2024 | 6:22 PM
Representative image (iStock)
As Hyderabad greets the Southwest monsoon after a long and dry summer, a survey reveals how gig workers toiled in the hot summer months.
On Saturday, 17 August, a survey titled “Impact of Extreme Heat on Gig Workers,” was released by the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) and HeatWatch, a non-profit organisation tackling climate change, which reported that at least 48.79 percent of the participants had decreased productivity due to the heat. The Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union and HeatWatch survey also cites numerous other metrics related to working conditions.
The summer of 2024 was marked by numerous heatwaves nationwide. Telangana was no exception. During this period the informal sector, working in the heat bore the brunt—especially the gig workers. The TGPWU and HeatWatch survey connected the exposure to unsafe heat levels to income instability.
The survey, conducted across seven locations citywide—Amberpet, Ramanthput, Musheerabad, Malakpet, Moosarambagh, Dilsukhnagar, and Kukatpally, surveyed a sample of 166 gig workers.
Coming to the sample size, the surveyed gig workers group consisted predominantly of men with 11.4 percent women. Additionally, 54.21 percent of the sample completed secondary education.
Only 14 participants reported no negative symptoms of working in the extreme heat. Conversely, 46.9 percent received a diagnosis for symptoms like dehydration, sunburn, heat oedema, skin issues, and gastrointestinal issues. 30.12 per cent reported getting a heat stroke.
One of the biggest drivers in exposing gig workers to extreme heat conditions despite official warnings from the government was the “algorithmic management.” It is a digitised evaluative system that requires workers to meet certain quotas in a day. Being “on time” is the most important, forcing the workers to toil tirelessly.
Additionally, the gig workers had to work between the peak heat hours between 12 pm and 3 pm as it constitutes about ₹400 to ₹500 of their daily income.
Speaking of the working hours, 55.42 percent of the sample reported working over eight hours, while 37.95 percent reported working between six and eight hours.
Gig employees belong to the informal sector. This sector has no legal regulations and has many information gaps. According to a 2022 NITI Aayog report, the gig economy will potentially employ 23.5 million people by 2030.
Despite contributing about 1.25 percent of the GDP, most gig employees only earn under ₹20,000 a month. The TGPWU and HeatWatch survey details that 79.5 percent of the sample earns under ₹20,000 a month.
The report also cites a multi-city study by the University of Pennsylvania and the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) that states that 83 percent of cab drivers and 78 percent of delivery workers work over 10 hours daily.
The report also highlighted the lack of basic amenities for the gig workers.
Only 31.33 percent of the sample reported having access to clean washrooms, with most men admitting to public urination. Similarly, only 6.63 percent reported having access to heat-protective clothing and footwear.
Belonging to the informal sector, gig workers do not have any social security. This lack of regulations allows for the direct or indirect exploitation of the workers.
Brainstorming solutions, most gig workers demanded governmental accountability for heat strokes. They also wished for medical facilities, shade in the sun, and “heat insurance” to mitigate the ill effects of working in the extreme heat.
However, the government remains hugely unresponsive. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made a gig worker policy one of the many poll promises in Telangana during the 2023 elections. Despite promises on top of unfulfilled promises, the Legislative Assembly has yet to table a comprehensive policy.
Eight months after their win, six months past the due date, there is still no news on a policy for gig workers in Telangana. Meanwhile, the Congress government in Karnataka released a draft of the proposed Karnataka Platform Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2024. Similarly, the Kerala government is also set to introduce the Kerala State Platform Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Bill, 2024 in the next Assembly session.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula)
