Discrimination is another issue.
Food delivery workers talk of how they are often treated badly by the restaurants and order placing stores and even by security guards of housing societies.
Raj Kumar, a food delivery person, recounts being denied elevator access and forced to climb stairs to complete deliveries.
Having hopes for a little higher earning, the delivery boys sometimes opt for longer trips. But some struggle to find orders for return trips, resulting in money being spent from the pocket for fuel.
“Recently I got an order for a delivery that was 30 km away. But, I had to wait almost three hours to get an order for a return order, which takes away the time for the rest of the day’s earnings. Also, since the hiring platform gives only a small petrol allowance, every day saw me spending additional money on fuel,” says Durai Murugan, who was with a food delivery platform.
Call for social security
With their cup of concerns brimming over, the All India Gig Workers’ Union (AIGWU) has been demanding proper social security schemes for these workers.
“We are asking for the inclusion of gig workers in the category of workers or employees. This will give them access to basic social security schemes like health insurance, leaves and employment security that workers from any other industry now avail,” says Saubhik Bhattacharya, General Secretary of AIGWU.
“A large portion of the workers include women in platforms like Zomato and Urban Company, and they must be given the facilities that women working in other sectors get, mainly the privileges like maternity and menstrual leaves,” he adds.
According to a recent Employment Outlook Report prepared by Teamlease Service, there were about 68,000 women working in the delivery industry in 2018-2019.
Rajasthan leads the way
Rajasthan was the first state to introduce a law for gig workers, enacting the Platform Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Act on July 24, 2023. This law established a welfare board and unique IDs for workers, and a system to monitor payments through a Central Transaction Information and Management System (CTIMS).
Karnataka has also drafted a law to protect gig workers’ rights.
These new regulations aim to enhance protections, including safeguards against unfair dismissals and a two-tiered grievance redressal system. A welfare board and social security funds, financed by welfare fees and government contributions, will also be established.
NHRC’s demands
A universal social security net indeed needs to be in place for the gig economy and the NHRC emphasised this to the Central Ministry of Labour and Employment.
In its letter, the human rights body highlighted the need to ensure proper payment of minimum wages, social security for workers, safe working environments, safety gear, medical insurance, and annual health check-ups.
Will this get a hearing and lead to action? Hopefully, but then again…
