Karnataka Gig Workers' Union to Join Legal Defence of Social Security Act

The Karnataka App-Based Workers Union (KAWU) has announced plans to file an intervention application in the Karnataka High Court to become a party to the case challenging the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Act, 2025. The union aims to defend the law, which was enacted to provide social security benefits to gig workers.

Aggregators such as Swiggy, Zepto, Zomato, and Urban Company, along with the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), have petitioned the High Court, arguing that the Act is constitutionally invalid. The companies contend that the law conflicts with the central Code on Social Security (COSS), 2020.

KAWU President Mohammad Inayat Ali stated that the union will not allow companies to strip away basic human dignities like health security, accident cover, and fair grievance redressal. He said, 'We will enter the legal battlefield, implead ourselves in this petition, and ensure the voice of the workers rings loud and clear in the High Court.'

Ali further alleged that the attempt by multi-billion-dollar aggregators to declare the welfare Act unconstitutional is a direct attack on the survival and dignity of millions of workers who form the backbone of the digital economy. He claimed that while platforms pocket massive profits, workers face extreme heat, road hazards, and zero financial stability.

Under the Act, a welfare fee from aggregators and platforms operating in Karnataka is due on July 5, 2026, for the social security of gig workers. According to a February 2026 notification by the state government, aggregators must pay the fee for the quarter covering April, May, and June in July.

The union argued that the petitioners' claim that the law is repugnant to the central Code on Social Security is merely a delay tactic to evade corporate responsibility. The High Court will hear the case in due course.