Uber, Eternal, Porter Exit Karnataka Gig Workers Welfare Board: Report

Uber, Eternal, and Porter have reportedly left the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers Welfare Board as they contest the state's gig workers law in court. The three companies, members of the statutory body formed under the 2025 Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Act, cited their legal battles against the legislation as the reason for their withdrawal.

The High Court did not halt the law's implementation but granted interim protection to the companies challenging it, including Eternal, Swiggy, Zepto, Urban Company, and Valmo Transportation. Uber, too, contested the constitutionality of the law at the High Court, leading to the extension of the interim protection for the ride-hailing giant.

Amazon India, a member of the board, has stayed as it is not entangled in the legal dispute. The Karnataka government is now seeking replacements for the three companies that withdrew. Currently, only 15 platform companies, representing approximately 7 lakh gig workers, are registered with the welfare board. The move comes amid increased enforcement efforts by Labour Minister Santosh Lad, who reviewed the law's implementation and directed officials to issue notices to platforms that have failed to deposit the required welfare fee with the board or the High Court.

Platforms challenged the law on the grounds that it creates a separate social security framework for gig workers, despite the Centre's Code on Social Security, 2020. Uber argued that the state law aligns with the central framework while imposing extra financial and compliance obligations on platforms.