Gig Workers and COVID-19

About the event

The Indian culture sector and cultural festivals tend to have small teams and work largely with freelancers, independent workers and consultants, who have sustained and shaped the sector in multiple ways. The mushrooming of the cultural festival sector in the recent past has generated further employment opportunities for gig workers in the creative sector. With festivals being cancelled and postponed, gig workers lost out on projects and income and emerged as one of the hardest-hit communities in the sector. In this regard, a webinar, Gig Workers and COVID-19, was held as part of the British Council’s Festival Connections, an annual programme of expertise, knowledge and networking between India and the U.K., in partnership with Arts and Culture Resources India (an Art X Company initiative) on 29 May 2020.

The webinar looked at the impact of COVID-19 on the community and offered some key takeaways for gig workers on how to approach work and the future in the creative sector. The speakers for the session included Atul Churamani, Managing Director, Turnkey Music and Publishing; Neha Kirpal, Co-Founder, InnerHour;  Priyanka Khimani, entertainment and music rights expert and leading intellectual property lawyer from India; and Rebecca Gould, Head of Arts, British Council Wales, from the UK.

It also had representatives from the gig workers’ community throwing light at some of the issues they faced due to the lockdown ranging from financial challenges, mental health issues, problems around productivity, and lack of clarity on how they should approach work as well as the lack of unity in the sector. As a peer sharing session, they also offered insights into how they successfully overcame some of these challenges. Atul Churamani spoke of the importance of strategising, pivoting and moving ahead, while Neha Kirpal emphasised taking care of one’s mental health while working in challenging environments. Priyanka elaborated on how one should not take the compliance aspects of setting up a business lightly and shared some insights on managing financial challenges as an independent worker. With her expertise in the UK, Rebecca explained how organising as collectives, informal and formal, could help professionals in the sector.

This event was held as part of the British Council’s Festival Connections in partnership with Arts and Culture Resources India (an Art X Company initiative), an annual programme of expertise, knowledge and networking between India and the UK.