Always-On Work Culture Vs. Statutory Protections: India's Gig Workers Post-2025 Codes
- IJLLR Journal
- Apr 22
- 1 min read
Adv. Sumayya Sayyed, B.A.LL.B., LL.M., District and Session Court, Chandrapur, Maharashtra
ABSTRACT
The digital overreach of India has long targeted its salaried workers and gig workers due to the ubiquitous work culture in the country, propagating unpaid overtime and mental health breakdowns as evidenced by the increasing number of suicide cases at the workplace. The pre-November 2025 labour legislation did not provide protection to the platform worker who provides services in legal anonymity due to the prevalence of rating- based precarity. This paper discusses the change after the adoption of four unified Labour Codes on November 21, 2025, which officially identifies the meaning of gig workers and aggregators and adds social security payments, minimum wage systems, and formal grievance procedures. It contrasts the anarchy at the onset of chaos with the post-implementation reality in March 2026, and how the completion of the ruthless working culture keeps subjecting these new codified pillars to test.
Keywords: Labour Codes, Gig workers, Gig Economy, Unpaid Work, Exploitation
