Your midnight food cravings can now be satisfied with a simple tap on food delivery apps. But behind this convenience lies the tireless efforts of delivery partners. Like them, millions of gig workers are always on the go to meet our needs. However, their jobs are increasingly becoming a thankless one, to the extent that they are deprived of adequate compensation and benefits, forcing them to hit the streets to protest against it.
Sarvesh Shukla, 34, a food delivery agent, said that their work has neither been acknowledged by the government nor by society.“We have to face discrimination in our daily routine, with now people pasting notes outside elevators in housing complexes saying delivery boys are not permitted to use them,” he claimed. “How does a delivery partner feel reading this?” he asked.
Recalling the pandemic years, Sarvesh highlighted the lack of social security for gig workers as a major concern. Recently, hundreds of workers of the Zomato-owned Blinkit held a strike as the company slashed their per-delivery charges to half.
Nirmal Agni, director, of Mehnatkash Association, iterated the same concern about the social security of workers. The firm focuses on the rights of workers associated with unicorn companies like Zomato, Swiggy, Urbanclap, Uber and Ola.
Speaking about the gig economy, Nirmal said that presently it is considered an informal economy, though we did not have any idea how it will boom. “The permanent solution for the gig workers is to include them in a formal economy like the Rajasthan government did,” he said.
“In Maharashtra, the ‘Mathari model’, ensures the social security and wages of handloom workers. This same model should be implemented across India,” Nirmal said. Companies usually blacked out the worker’s accounts or unnecessarily delay the payment process of the workers as they are not under the ambit of the law.
Manju Goel, a member of the Amazon Worker’s Association claimed that their delivery agents get low wages, making their life miserable. According to her, Amazon delivery agents get a meagre Rs 20, which also includes fuel costs.
In addition, Goel also highlighted the woes of women workers at the Amazon warehouse. She also highlighted the challenges faced by women workers at Amazon, who endure long hours on their feet, leading to orthopaedic issues.