Centre faces heat for ‘favouring’ RSS-linked unions over others on gig workers’ board

The Ministry of Labour and Employment on Friday notified the constitution of the National Social Security Board (NSSB) for unorganised, gig and platform workers mandated under the Code on Social Security to design, monitor, and recommend targeted welfare schemes to bridge the social security gap for gig workers.

The 40-member board nominated by the government for three years was dominated by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) linked unions and organisations such as Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) and Laghu Udyog Bharati (LUB), which has as many as 6 members on the board.

The board includes 7 union representatives and 7 employer representatives, with the remaining members drawn from various government departments and the parliament. Among the unions, the RSS-linked BMS has three members, while Laghu Udyog Bharati, another RSS-linked organisation that works for MSME welfare, holds three of the seven employer seats.

However, there were no representatives from most of the 12 labour unions recognised by the government, such as Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC). The board also had state representatives from BJP-ruled states, including Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and West Bengal only.

A query sought from the spokesperson of the Ministry of Labour & Employment remained unanswered till press time.

“The Ministry of Labour & Employment has notified the official constitution of the National Social Security Board for Unorganised Workers and Gig & Platform Workers. Established under the statutory framework of the Code on Social Security, these Boards mark a historic shift by integrating digital gig and platform professionals into India’s formal welfare architecture,” the government said.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment said that the board will be presided over by the Union Minister for Labour & Employment and comprise representatives from Central and State Governments, prominent aggregator companies, employers, civil society organisations, workers’ unions and gig & platform Associations.

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“The Boards are mandated to design, monitor, and recommend targeted welfare schemes to bridge the social security gap for millions of gig & platform workers alongside traditional unorganised workers. The National Social Security Boards shall meet at least thrice a year and shall observe rules of procedure relating to the transaction of business at its meetings, as prescribed by the Central Government,” the ministry said.

The board, as per the government, would recommend to the central government for framing suitable schemes for different sections of unorganised workers, gig workers and platform workers, monitor such social welfare schemes, review the record-keeping functions performed at the state level and also review the expenditure from the fund and account; and

“The government is breaking all norms. This will break the existing system of pragmatism. The government cannot make such moves because these boards represent Indian workers, and there is an established process of recognising the representatives of the Indian workers through referendum. The social security code defines representatives of the employees. The process is through the referendum, and the last referendum shows that there are 12 unions, and their rank is also given. The government has itself informed the parliament about the recognised representatives. We are going to write to the Labour Minister and raise it in the parliament too,” Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) National President, Sudip Dutta, told The Indian Express.

“We had sent across names for the board as asked by the government, and there are several members from other unions as well. We want the meeting for the National Social Security Board as fast as possible so that we have put forth our ideas on the welfare of gig and platform workers,” Pawan Kumar, Vice President, Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) told the newspaper.

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“The central government had asked for nominations from AITUC, but only favourites have made it to the board. Unions questioning their decisions are not part of the board. There are 12 central trade unions recognised by the government of India based on the 2008-09 notification. The next verification, which began on the basis of 2011 membership, was going on when this government came. Then in the middle they stopped and never published the results,” Amarjeet Kaur, All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC).

Kaur said that earlier too, when the government had constituted a code of minimum wages, which specified that the 12 recognised central trade unions would be appointed on the board, the government had decided to exclude most of the unions and gave more seats to BMS.

According to the NITI Aayog, the sector is expected to employ 2.35 crore by 2029–30. Despite that, at present, there is no law by which social security benefits can be provided to gig and platform workers, who often work long hours in extreme conditions, typically as independent contractors with far fewer benefits compared to full-time employees.