Dr. Abhishek Kumar 1, Prof. B. N. Dubey 2
1 ICSSR Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Sociology, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (A Central University), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Corresponding author: Dr. Abhishek Kumar, E-mail: abhishek.pdf.soc@bbau.ac.in Orcid ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7587-3605
2 Professor, Department of Sociology, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University(A Central University), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
E-mail: dubeybbau@gmail.com
Issue: Vol. 2 No. 3 (September 2026) – Anubodhan
Received: 9 September 2026 / Accepted: 17 September 2026 / Published online: 21 September 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.65885/anubodhan.v2n3.2026.108
Abstract
This review paper tries to explain the impact of four new labour laws, ‘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’, on the gig cultivators who are working for platform-based goods and services delivery. The paper is based on secondary literature, such as press releases, guidelines by ministries concerned, newspaper articles, research articles, etc. The paper identifies that the code of Social Security has, for the first time ever, given a formal acknowledgement to gig and platform workers and opened a door for social security measures and initiatives for them. However, there are gaps in the classification of work, implementation, compliance protocols, and the gig cultivators’ rights, because of which the platform-based gig workers are still insecure on several fronts. This paper will help to identify the existing gaps and to better understand the role of the new labour laws for the gig cultivators and platform workers. The paper also includes some of the policy recommendations and implementation suggestions for better efficiency and results of the provisions of the new labour laws.
Keywords: Gig Cultivators; Gig Workers; New Labour Laws; The Code on Social Security, 2020; The Code on Wages, 2019; The Industrial Relations Code, 2020; The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020
How to cite: Kumar, A. & Dubey, B. N. (2026). A Review of the New Labour Laws, their Impact on Gig Cultivators in India, and the Way Forward. Anubodhan, 2(3), 149–163. https://doi.org/10.65885/anubodhan.v2n3.2026.108