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@article{192840,
        author = {Aniket Mitra},
        title = {Platformization and Collective Bargaining in India: A Mixed-Method Case Study of Ride-Hailing and Food Delivery Workers},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {9},
        pages = {3085-3094},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=192840},
        abstract = {The rapid expansion of platform-mediated work has significantly reconfigured the terrain of industrial relations (IR) in India. Ride-hailing and food delivery platforms such as Uber, Ola, Rapido, Zomato, and Swiggy have generated large-scale employment opportunities while simultaneously operating outside conventional employer–employee frameworks. This paper examines how platformization has reshaped collective bargaining, worker representation, and regulatory engagement within the Indian context. Drawing on a mixed-method research design that integrates policy analysis, review of judicial pronouncements, secondary statistical data, and qualitative interviews with platform workers and union representatives, the study investigates the evolving nature of employment relations, the scope of collective action, and the implications of the Labour Codes, 2020.
The findings reveal that although the Code on Social Security, 2020 formally recognizes gig and platform workers, substantive collective bargaining rights remain underdeveloped. Algorithmic management systems, unilateral incentive structures, and contractual classifications as “independent contractors” limit workers’ ability to negotiate wages and working conditions through institutionalized IR mechanisms. Judicial interventions and emerging state-level regulatory initiatives indicate a gradual shift toward formal oversight; however, enforcement gaps and ambiguities in employment status continue to constrain effective industrial dialogue. Strikes and collective protests demonstrate growing worker consciousness, yet the absence of statutory recognition of bargaining agents restricts durable outcomes.
From an industrial relations perspective, the study argues that India’s platform economy requires a reimagined regulatory framework that balances flexibility with social protection, institutionalizes collective representation, and strengthens tripartite engagement. The paper contributes to contemporary IR scholarship by situating platform work within broader debates on labour commodification, regulatory reform, and the future of collective bargaining in emerging economies.},
        keywords = {Platformization; Gig Economy; Platform Workers; Collective Bargaining; Industrial Relations; Algorithmic Management; Digital Labour; Employment Classification; Dependent Contracting; Industrial Relations Code, 2020; Code on Social Security, 2020; Trade Union Recognition; Strike Regulation; Labour Law Reform in India; Ride-Hailing Sector; Food Delivery Platforms; Algorithmic Governance; Worker Representation; Precarious Work; Tripartite Social Dialogue; Platform Industrial Relations Model (RPEC Model).},
        month = {February},
        }