Labour Codes Drafted for 2026 Implementation Amid Renewed Gig Worker Protests

The Ministry of Labour and Employment on Thursday pre-published draft rules for the four labour codes to seek stakeholder feedback. The government intends to fully implement the four codes from April 1, 2026, across the country.

In the draft rules, the government proposed that benefits under the new labour codes will be available to gig workers who have been engaged as one “for not less than 90 days with an aggregator, or in the case of multiple aggregators, not less than 120 days, in the last financial year,” reports said. For gig workers engaged with multiple aggregators, the Centre elaborated that:

1. A gig worker or a platform worker will be considered to be engaged with an aggregator for one day if he has earned income, irrespective of the amount, for such work rendered for the aggregator on that calendar day;

2. In the case of working with multiple aggregators, the days of engagement of a gig worker or a platform worker shall be calculated across aggregators in a cumulative manner;

3. If a gig worker or a platform worker is engaged with three aggregators on a particular calendar day, this shall count as three days.

The four labour codes notified on Thursday are the Code on Wages, 2019; the Industrial Relations Code, 2020; the Code on Social Security, 2020; and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020. States are also in the process of formally publishing rules under these four codes.

The ministry has given stakeholders 30 days from the publication of the draft rules to provide feedback on the Industrial Relations Code, 2020. For the remaining three draft rules, the ministry has given 45 days to provide feedback.

Earlier in December, Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya highlighted the Centre’s intent to meet the target of providing social security to 100 crore workers by March 2026. Currently, 94 crore workers have social security coverage in the country. As per a report by Mint, social security coverage expanded to over 64% in 2025 from 19% a decade ago.

The move comes even as gig workers across quick-commerce platforms renewed protests over pay, safety and social security, underscoring the gap between policy intent and ground realities.

Call for Ban on 10-Minute Deliveries

Following strikes on Christmas Day, delivery workers of several quick-commerce platforms, including Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit and Zepto, went on strike on New Year’s Eve, calling for a ban on 10-minute deliveries. As per a report by The Indian Express, the Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT), in a letter to Mandaviya, urged a ban on unsafe 10-minute delivery models, fair and transparent wages, regulation of companies under the recently notified labour codes, and recognition of workers’ right to organise and collectively bargain.

“The government must intervene immediately. Regulate platform companies, stop worker victimisation, and ensure fair wages, safety, and social protection. The gig economy cannot be built on the broken bodies and silenced voices of workers,” the report said, quoting Shaik Salauddin, co-founder and national general secretary of IFAT.

The two waves of strikes by gig workers have shed light on the long, silent fight by employees of quick-commerce platforms and stripped away the “romanticised” concept of firms offering “gig” work as an expanding avenue of employment, The Indian Express report said.

Gig workers at Swiggy, Blinkit and Zepto face several shortfalls in job security, including uncertain income, low base pay, algorithms that distort distance, and limited to no social security.

Added to this is the 10-minute delivery feature, under which workers rush to complete deliveries within a stipulated time. India’s labour codes bring gig workers into the social security net, but stop short of addressing pay predictability, algorithmic control, and safety risks that are fuelling worker unrest.

Zomato CEO On10-Min Delivery Model

Zomato co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Deepinder Goyal said the 10-minute delivery model is enabled by the density of stores near consumers’ homes and not by how fast delivery workers ride. Addressing various concerns, Goyal wrote on X that all delivery partners are provided with medical and life insurance. He also stated that delivery work is not designed to be a long-term role, noting that ‘gig’ workers’ attrition stands at 64%, with employees leaving the industry for more stable jobs.

Goyal added that Zomato is open to making improvements and rejected claims on social media alleging that gig workers are being exploited.