Food delivery partners demand basic pay, welfare measures

After the city’s cab drivers’ protest against aggregators for treating them as partners instead of employees, now food delivery riders are coming out with the same issues.
Food delivery partners demand basic pay, welfare measures

BENGALURU: After the city’s cab drivers’ protest against aggregators for treating them as partners instead of employees, now food delivery riders are coming out with the same issues. Recently, a Food Delivery Partners’ Struggle Committee was formed to air their grievances. The committee, along with the All India Democratic Youth Organisation (AIDYO), is conducting a convention on Thursday in Malleswaram, to address some of the demands of the rider partners.

Around 700 partners are expected to attend the event. “These food delivery riders are considered freelancers or partners, and not employees. They work on an incentive-based system. The salary is based on the number of deliveries they make, so sometimes they are forced to work 16-18 hours a day. There is no accountability from food aggregators and neither do they provide any accident insurance,” says Vinay Sarathy, committee president. 

The committee has come out with a list of four demands: Consider delivery riders as employees with a fixed pay, provide incentives, government should regularise policy guidelines, social security for drivers and their families. 

To this, Swiggy issued a statement to TNIE, saying: “Last year we launched the Swiggy Smiles program... The initiative focuses on their welfare, personal development and motivation. Uber Eats was unavailable for comment.

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