Aam Aadmi Party (AAM) MP Raghav Chadha has offered to mediate between companies and gig workers during the strike by the gig workers union on New Year’s Eve, December 31. Emphasizing that delivery people should be treated with dignity and not as delivery robots with unrealistic delivery expectations, Raghav Chadha said the digital dollar workers and gig workers initiative are the “dollar wheels of India”.
Raghav Chadha said: “I am willing to mediate between companies and gig workers. They deserve dignity and respect at work. Delivery people should be treated with dignity. They are not robots or bonded labourers, but fathers, husbands, brothers and sons. Their mental and physical health needs attention.”
On the AAP concert workers’ strike, the MP said: “After spending hours with the Blinkit rider, I understand many of their problems and am documenting them to address them with the immediate management of the trading company to seek solutions, dignity and social security. This is a solvable problem that requires flexibility from companies.”
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“I stand in solidarity with the delivery staff and the striking riders. Their one-day protest reflects genuine demands for social security, fair pay, relief from dangerous delivery pressures and stable employment. These gig workers are the backbone of billion-dollar companies and even a small investment in their welfare and fair rules can ensure fairness and motivation. They are the invisible wheels driving digital India and the fledgling economy,” he said.
Strike on December 31
The Telangana Concert and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) and the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) have said thousands of workers are set to join a nationwide strike to demand better pay and better working conditions.
The strike may affect the operations of delivery and quick business firms such as Zomato, Swiggy, BlinkIt, Instamart and Zepto on New Year’s Eve, when demand is at an all-time high.
Anticipating massive service disruption, Zomato and Swiggy have offered more incentives to their partners on New Year’s Eve.
While ₹120 to ₹150 per order”>Zomato offered delivery partners a payout of Rs ₹120 to ₹150 per order between 6:00 PM and 12:00 AM on New Year’s Eve. The platform also promised earnings of up to ₹3,000 per day, depending on order volume and availability of workers, sources said.
Additionally, Zomato has temporarily waived penalties for order rejections and cancellations.
Similarly, Swiggy also increased incentives around the end of the year, offering deliverers earnings up to ₹10,000 during December 31 and January 1, according to people aware of the development.
On New Year’s Eve, the platform advertises peak earnings up to above ₹2,000 for a period of six hours between 6:00 PM and 12:00 AM.
In a joint statement, the TGPWU and IFAT said: “More than 1.7 lakh delivery and app-based workers across India have confirmed participation since last night, with the number expected to grow further by the evening.”
