The High Court of Karnataka has rejected a PIL petition which had sought directions to the State government to enact a law for protection of gig workers and frame guidelines to ensure that the companies running information technology platforms pay salary to the registered gig workers.
Observing that it cannot issue direction for issuance of guidelines as existence of any law for protecting the interests of gig workers was not brought to its notice, the court said if the category of gig workers have no protection, it is for them to make appropriate representation to the State government.
“We are sure that if such a representation is made, the State government will consider the same expeditiously in accordance with law,” observed a special Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice B.V. Nagarathna, which is hearing PIL petitions related to issues cropped up owing to COVID-19 lockdown.
The petitioner, Ayantika Mondal, an advocate, had contended in her petition that while regular employees in the private IT-based platforms enjoy protection of laws, gig workers, who are key contributors to the functioning of the IT-based platforms, have been deprived such protection and they need help from the government due to situation created because of the lockdown.