Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Member of Parliament (MP) Raghav Chadha he met delivery riders Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit etc. in Old Rajinder Nagar on New Year’s Eve.
Sharing a video of his detailed conversation on New Year’s Eve on social media, Chadha, a Rajya Sabha MP, said, “It is tragic that millions of delivery people who have helped build instant trading companies into what they are today are now being forced to protest just to be heard.”
“These platforms didn’t succeed because of algorithms alone. They succeeded because of human sweat and work,” Chadha said.
The Aam Aadmi Party leader’s comments come in the wake of tens of thousands of app-based deliverymen striking on New Year’s Eve against what they called relentless pressure, including demands to deliver goods within 10 minutes.
The workers called for “fair pay, dignity and safety” as well as an immediate ban on the marketing hook that obliges them to deliver food to any address within a radius of roughly three kilometers (1.8 miles) within 10 minutes.
“It’s time companies start treating riders as human beings, not disposable data points. The gig economy cannot become a guilt-free exploitation economy,” Chadha said.
Goyal’s defense
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal defends the gig economy.
“Our 10-minute delivery promise is driven by the density of stores around your homes. It’s not made possible by speeding through delivery partners. Delivery partners don’t even have a timer in their app to show what the original time was promised to the customer,” Goyal said in one of the many X posts he’s made.
Chadha, who championed the cause of gig workers and even took up the issue in the Rajya Sabha, insisted that it was time for companies to start treating riders as human beings and not disposable data points.
“The gig economy cannot become a no-guilt exploitation economy,” he said.
On Wednesday, Chadha expressed solidarity with contractors and riders in a symbolic one-day protest against poor working conditions and low wages.
“Overworked, underpaid and denied dignity”
Chadha said the protest highlights how gig workers are overworked, underpaid and denied dignity, social security and basic labor protections. Appealing to companies like Zepto, Blinkit, Zomato and Swiggy, he said gig workers are the backbone of their multi-million dollar businesses and must be treated fairly and with respect.
“I express my solidarity with the delivery drivers and riders who are on strike today and hold a token protest to show how overworked and underpaid they are and demand dignity of work, social security and justice. I appeal to the management of companies like Zepto, Blinkit, Zomato and Swiggy that the backbone of your multi-million dollar businesses will be taken care of by Chadha agency workers, ANI.
Chadha claimed that workers who raise concerns are often penalized with reduced supplies or being logged out of apps, leading to financial losses.
