Keralam is launching GIGON, a new initiative to provide app-based delivery riders and drivers with dedicated spaces to rest and access basic facilities while they work.
The Labour Department will launch the project on Wednesday as part of the state government’s 100-day action plan. The first phase will set up GIGON hubs in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode.
Labour Minister Bindu Krishna will inaugurate the state-level facility at the newly built hub at Vanross Junction in Thiruvananthapuram.
The hubs are designed for gig workers who often spend long hours on the road and may not have access to basic workplace facilities such as seating, clean toilets or places to charge their phones.
Each GIGON centre will provide resting areas, drinking water, clean toilets, dining spaces, free Wi-Fi, phone charging points and television sets.
The centres will remain open every day from 8 am to 10 pm in two shifts. Two Labour Department staff members will be assigned to each shift to manage the facilities and ensure their upkeep.
Explaining the initiative, Labour Minister Bindu Krishna said GIGON is aimed at improving the welfare and safety of gig workers as the number of people working through digital platforms continues to grow.
She said the government plans to study the experience of the first phase before expanding the project to other districts. The state is also considering bringing in a bill focused on the safety and welfare of gig workers.
State Transport Minister C P John will preside over the inauguration, while Health Minister K Muraleedharan will attend as the guest of honour. Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor and Mayor V V Rajesh will attend as chief guests.
The event will also include the virtual inauguration of the GIGON hubs in Ernakulam and Kozhikode.
With app-based delivery and transport services growing across Keralam, the GIGON project is being introduced as an initial step towards providing basic workplace facilities and labour support to the state’s growing platform workforce.
