India’s Surplus Labour Trap: Gig Work, Contract Teachers, and Anganwadi Protests
In December 2025, gig workers, contractually hired professors, and the public health Anganwadi and ASHA workers were on strike over pay, safety, and social security. These strikes have been recurring without resolution. They expose the survival struggles of India’s large and growing surplus labour force—men and women in low-productivity, low-wage jobs with long downtimes. Workers…