On a smog-choked late November morning in Delhi, a crowd of workers, union leaders and political allies gathered under a haze of winter pollution to send a message to one of the world’s most powerful corporations called: "Make Amazon Pay." The protest was part of a global day of strikes and demonstrations, and among the speakers was Gorakh Mengde, the General Secretary of the Amazon India Workers Union, who said that Amazon’s “management attempted to stop us [from protesting that day] in multiple ways. We want to say to Amazon — You could not stop us today, you cannot stop us in the future.”

If Amazon relied on intimidation, another company opted for outright retaliation. A Zomato delivery worker who addressed the same rally was fired on the spot—via WhatsApp. His manager sent him a video of his own speech moments earlier, followed by a cold notification: he was being deactivated from the app.

Such stories of hyper-precarity are becoming alarmingly common. India already has over 8 million gig workers; by 2030, that number could explode to 23 million. Yet companies like Zomato, Swiggy, and Urban Company insist they are merely "digital intermediaries," not employers—a legal sleight of hand that allows them to dodge responsibility for fair wages, safe working conditions, or social security.

The stakes were underscored this week by Rahul Gandhi, leader of India’s opposition, who wrote, “these workers bring us food, deliver essentials, and drive us safely — in the heat, cold, and rain. Yet too often, they are blocked from their apps without explanation, denied sick leave, and paid according to opaque algorithms.”

The struggle of app workers represents the cutting edge of the contradiction between capital and labour. But workers aren’t waiting for change—they’re organising to build unions and win, matching the new challenges for workers through landmark breakthroughs in labour law.

Leading the charge in India are two members of the Progressive International: Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) and the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU).

Their efforts are already rewriting laws. In 2023, Rajasthan became India’s first state to pass social security protections for gig workers, thanks to a relentless campaign by MKSS. The union not only forced the government to act, but also secured a seat at the drafting table for Nikhil Dey, a veteran MKSS activist.

This week, Karnataka followed suit, after a long struggle and campaign. In Karnataka, the campaign for Gig worker legislation had faced strong opposition and stonewalling by India's powerful aggregator and software industry, which made alarmist submissions and blocked the law for over a year and a half. However, gig workers’ groups and unions, including the MKSS, kept the campaign going, and finally, the political leadership ensured a legislation with many progressive provisions was enacted in the State. Karnataka law goes further than Rajasthan’s guarantee of social security by adding transparency in algorithmic pay, an end to arbitrary blocking of workers from apps, effectively sacking without due process and provisions for fair terms of contract.

In Telangana, the TGPWU’s organising power has yielded even greater results. The Union has organised waves of strike action against platforms, including against Zepto, just last week. The fruits of this hard organising will be seen on Monday, 2 June, when the state of Telangana passes its Gig Workers Bill into law. It goes further still with key provisions to ensure fair wages, social security, and grievance redressal. The law will place trade unions at the table with the government and companies on a Tripartite Welfare Board. All app workers will be registered with the Board so they can receive social security.

Crucially, the Bill gives workers the right to access information about algorithms which have an impact on their working conditions, including but not limited to fares, earnings, customer feedback and allied information. It also prevents the arbitrary blocking of workers from apps and makes the companies responsible for providing a safe working environment. Despite these advances, TGPWU is campaigning for more for its members, including sector-specific minimum pay.

The fight in Telangana drew international backing. In April, a Progressive International delegation—including Clara López (Colombia), Andres Arauz (Ecuador), and Giorgio Jackson (Chile)—met state government officials, MKSS, and TGPWU to strengthen the bill. Their involvement underscores a truth that gig giants want to ignore: worker solidarity doesn’t stop at borders.

For India’s app workers, after years of being treated as disposable, they’re proving that collective action works. Success is contagious. App worker power is growing.

The Indian laws just enacted need to be studied to see if some of the progressive formulations can be incorporated into law in other parts of the world. PI will make an effort to carry these lessons across borders and continents as a part of workers’ solidarity, victories, and inspiration wherever new challenges emerge.

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Of this work, Saraf has said, “I am interested in women's agency, women as makers of their own futures and agents of socio-political change.” Saraf’s intricate artworks seek to expose the uncomfortable reality of violence by softening the blow through presenting it as beautiful paintings. In late 2024, Varunika Saraf contributed an artwork to the Progressive International’s series of limited edition fundraising posters titled Thieves in the Forest, which speaks to human greed and deep humanitarian and ecological crises.

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