This might spell the end of the gig economy in India

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Editor's note: Let me remind you of the promise,” says Shaik Salauddin over the phone. “They promised us jobs. They promised us security. They promised us hope. They called us partners. People left everything—jobs, farming and lives—and came to cities in droves in pursuit of hope. Today, they can’t manage two square meals. And then these companies exploit these people, off-road them, block their IDs when they want. Is this dignity of labour? Is this what you call job creation? Is this employment?” Salauddin, a cab driver in Hyderabad, is the general secretary of the Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT), an organization representing app-based transport and delivery workers. He is also a steering committee member of the International Alliance of App-based Workers. He talks passionately about the dismal condition of the so-called gig workers and the broken promises made by platform aggregation companies like Uber, Ola, Zomato and Swiggy. He is not a social media activist. His perspective comes from years of working on the ground as a gig worker himself. He has seen the glory days of the gig …