A nationwide strike of thousands of gig workers is expected to occur on Wednesday, New Year’s Eve which is usually the busiest day of the year for food delivery and transport apps thus residents in Delhi-NCR will probably face delays and cancellations of orders.
The Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers, Gig and Platform Service Workers’ Union and various other independent labour unions have requested a strike which is a significant step taken after the Christmas holiday when similar services were disrupted.
The ordeal faced by workers
While the businesses assert that they are “gig worker centric”, the labour force stated that the actual situation is not so.
The Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers has reported that companies have deserted the workers in terms of taking responsibility for them.
“We are labelled as independent partners, so we are not considered for the risks that come along with the work. The accidents and medical bills we incur are considered personal expenses. The strike is to highlight these issues, and we demand that the algorithm-based system be stopped. The 10-minute delivery trap is unrealistic, and the worker loses more than what they get,” said a worker.
A 30-year-old employee Nadeem residing in Chandni Chowk stated that approximately 10 months back he had an accident which led him to a coma for more than three months and after that he was left high and dry.
According to him, he has spent more than ₹1 lakh on his treatment, and the company has not shown any help to him.
According to Prabhat Kumar Varma, a taxi service app captain, systems of taxis are different from take-away food delivery systems.
“One has to pay at least a 13% charge per ride as a platform fee. You can avoid this charge only by purchasing the company’s incentives. These incentives are provided daily and weekly, and work just like your mobile recharge. After paying a minimum amount to the company, you can earn a specified amount without incurring the platform charge on your rides. The incentive is valid for a set period. For example, by paying ₹125, you could earn ₹1400 in three days without paying the platform fee on your rides. There are multiple such incentives, but the amount you receive is still very low considering the expenses on fuel and maintenance of the vehicle,” Mr. Verma explained.
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