Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) president Raghav Chadha on Friday called on Parliament to end what he termed the “cruelty” of 10-minute delivery services run by fast-commerce platforms. The Rajya Sabha MP said this culture forces gig workers to risk their lives and forces them to meet punishing deadlines under intense pressure.
During the Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Chadha raised the issue that delivery personnel are not robots but individuals who are someone’s father, husband, brother or son.
“I want to tell you that these people are not robots. They are also someone’s father, husband, brother or son. The House should think about them. And the cruelty of this 10-minute delivery should stop,” he said.
The AAP leader said that while consumers hope that their food will reach them within 10 minutes, the House should also think about the welfare of gig workers.
Chadha described delivery personnel working for platforms like Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, Zepto, ride-hailing services like Ola and Uber and home service providers as the “invisible wheels of the Indian economy”.
“Every day we press a button on our mobile app and we get a notification that your order is on its way, your order has been delivered, your ride has arrived. But behind that notification is often a person we don’t recognize,” he said.
He noted that while fast-paced business and instant delivery have helped companies reach billion-dollar valuations and become unicorns, the condition of gig workers remains worse than that of day laborers.
Chadha highlighted three main challenges facing gig workers: pressure for speed and delivery times, customer harassment and unsafe working conditions.
About the dangerous 10-minute delivery trend, he said workers are forced to speed and jump red lights because they fear a drop in ratings, reduced incentives, app logouts and ID blocking.
“A delivery driver standing at a red light still thinks that if he is late, the rating will drop, the incentive will be cancelled, the app will be logged out and the ID will be blocked. So he will speed for a 10-minute delivery, jump the red light and bet his life,” Chadha said.
He said workers face the constant fear of customer complaints, with even a 5-7 minute delay resulting in reprimands, threats and 1-star ratings that affect their entire monthly performance and earnings.
As for working conditions, Chadha said gig workers work 12-14 hours a day in all weather conditions without protective gear, special bonuses or hazard pay.
Every day we press a button on our mobile app and get a notification that your order is on its way, but behind that notification is often a person we don’t recognize.
According to him, unlike factory workers, they lack permanent employment, humane working conditions or health and accident insurance.
“Yet, sir, they hide their pain, their job insecurity and their hopelessness. When they deliver your order, they smile and say, ‘Sir, thank you, give me a 5-star rating,'” he said.
