KOCHI: Food delivery companies such as Uber Eats, Swiggy and Zomato will no longer be able to evaluate the performance of their delivery boys between 11 am-3 pm. Coming down heavily on the companies which force their employees to deliver the food to the customers in a speedy manner during the lunch hours, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has issued a directive to the IT and Labour Department to take stringent measures against companies if they don't stick to the directive.
The KSDMA issued the direction in the wake of rising number of sunstroke and sunburn incidents reported from different parts of the state.
"Though the delivery boys have not been registered as employees, they too share an employee and employer relationship. With the state witnessing high temperature, it is not practical to assess their performance between 11 am and 3 pm.
We have received several complaints from delivery boys who are forced to work under the scorching sun. We have issued a directive to the Labour and IT Department to monitor such cases," said Sekhar Kuriakose, secretary, KSDMA.
The KSDMA also directed the companies to provide a heat-resistant jacket to the delivery boys. "At present, their uniforms are not summer-friendly. Two companies provide black uniforms which are inappropriate during the summers. It should be changed at the earliest," the secretary added.
A few delivery boys in the city expressed their concerns on delivering the food during the afternoon. "Our incentives are based on the number of orders that we take. The major chunk of our target is achieved during the afternoon session. Taking a break during this time will affect our incentives. It is extremely difficult to work in this climate and we are forced to use the company's uniform too. Since we need to earn, we are forced to work in these conditions," said Faizal, a delivery boy.