This method is different for employers and employees. This is a method in which the employee completes the work within the given time and gets paid for it. In short, the employer does not have to take responsibility for the monthly salary of the employee. It is a different business model. In this one has to be honest towards the work. Only then work is available. The employee has to work harder to earn a certain amount and according to a report of Niti Aayog in this field, the number of such employees will reach twenty-three and a half crores by 2029..
We are talking about the workers who deliver services to the customers of many companies like Ola, Uber, Zomato, Swiggy , Porter, Urban who are called gig workers. is called Now if we say such a large number of workers, of course, many questions arise such as the financial compensation of these workers, their exploitation, extortion, and health.
Workers working for mobile apps like Ola, Uber, Swiggy, Zomato, Porter, Urban Company in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad observed a one-day strike on October 25, 2023 last year for various demands. In order to stop the exploitation of workers by companies, this bandh was observed to implement the Gig Worker Registration and Welfare Act in Maharashtra on the lines of the Rajasthan government. The bandh was organized by the organization Indian Gig Workers Front. Every day thousands of people work to deliver food in different cities.
These workers who do 'food delivery' for companies like Swiggy, and Zomato have to race against the clock. Cope with traffic and customer demands. They also face the problem of how to fill their stomach. Rising prices of petrol and diesel are making their lives more difficult.
Order.. order.. order, waiting for the ring, countless people wearing red shirts are seen outside hundreds of hotels in Pune. Suraj, in his forties, was standing outside a restaurant waiting for his order. "Initially I was working as a courier. I learned from here and there that Swiggy earns more money, so I started working with Swiggy in 2018. He works from seven in the evening to four in the morning. If you work for seven to eight hours in the morning, you get five hundred to six hundred rupees.
If you do the same work in the evening, you get two hundred rupees more. If I login in the evening, I get 115 rupees separately, so I work in the evening. I live in a cat. So we take orders within 15 km around the city such as Wagholi, Kharadi, Vimannagar, and Camp. If an order is late or the parcel is damaged, there is a penalty. So if there is an order of two hundred rupees, then you have to pay that two hundred rupees yourself. Earlier there was no such rule. The company has now changed its policy. So that the company would not lose money, they hit us with the money.
Even if the customer sometimes complains that we have not been treated properly, or the parcel has not been given properly, the company does not verify whether these complaints are true or false. There is no such system in the company. The company gives us a warning. Sometimes they cancel our ID for a day. If a customer complains two or three times, they are removed forever. There is no system to express our opinion. The question is, where should we ask for praise?
Thirty-five-year-old Aniket, who works in Swiggy, says, 'Initially, when I started working in Swiggy, there was an eight-nine hour shift. Now the same shift has become four to five hours. It was good money at that time. Now the money for the order is less. At that time, the basic order was 45 rupees. Now it falls to 20 rupees. If there is an order of four kilometers, we used to get 50-60, now we get 20 rupees. How can we afford it? Many people are looking for work. So when they get a job, they start working.'
A swiggy worker named Ganesh says, 'We are looking for work. They don't care about their rules. Even so, when I started working, the rules of the company's policy were in English. Who wants to read English here? So we start working immediately without understanding any rules. But now the rules of the policy have come in Marathi. Initially, insurance was available. Now the rules have changed. Now the company has made three categories Gold, Silver and Bronze Asha.
Each category gets different facilities. If you are in Gold category, you get all the facilities of the company, get insurance. Earlier customers were getting rating money, now they are not. The company has a 'Smile Programme'. It was getting smile points under it. After working for six months without taking a single holiday, he was getting Rs. 250 extra per week. After working for a year, I was getting two thousand per month. After covid the company closed everything. Completely changed the policy. Now there is no relief or protection.
Swapnil Londhe says, 'The customer wants the parcel to be delivered on time. We used to exercise a lot at that time. There are a lot of traffic problems in Pune and getting the car out of it is a test for us. Many signals are required. It often takes longer than the map shows. But customers don't understand. Give a negative rating. However, many incidents on the road cause delays. So it doesn't happen that you reach within the time shown by the map. Our ID is blocked if the customer gives a negative rating. Whether it's rain or shine, it takes a lot of effort to deliver the parcel on time. There is fear for one's own life. But nothing can be done.'
President of Indian Gig Worker Manch Dr. Keshav Kshirsagar says, 'Last year i.e. in 2023, the organization did protests. Statements were given in the collector's office for various demands. But our movement has not been successful so far. Despite several representations, the government is not considering the demands of food delivery workers. Gig Workers Registration and Welfare Act should be implemented in Maharashtra also on the lines of the Rajasthan Government. This is our demand.'
What are the demands…?
- The order rate should be the same for all, with at least a 50 percent increase in the rate
- There should be a mechanism to solve the problems of food delivery people.
- There should be no difference between the distance shown on the phone and the actual distance.
- Before taking any action like blocking ID or imposing a penalty on any delivery boy, customer complaints should be verified. If it's the hotel's fault, don't blame the food delivery guy. ID should not be blocked by giving false reasons.
- There should be a facility to get a minimum wage per day.
- Gig Workers Registration and Welfare Act should be implemented in Maharashtra also on the lines of the Rajasthan Government.
What is the law in Rajasthan?
There are some important provisions in this bill of the Rajasthan government . E.g. Establishment of Welfare Board for Gig-Platform Employees. Through such a board it will be possible to regulate the employment and service conditions of these employees and implement various measures for social security, health and welfare. The members of this board will be state administrative officers and members of gig workers, companies, and NGOs. Provision is made that one-third of the nominated members shall be women.
Also, a system called 'Gig-Platform Employee Fund and Welfare Fee' will be developed to implement social security and welfare schemes. wherein it is mandatory for the Company (Aggregator) to bear a certain burden of transaction charges in each transaction; which will further be given to the Welfare Board. In case of delay in payment of fees, strict punishment has been provided to the concerned company in this act.
Due to this clause, the companies will have to accept the responsibility of the social security of the employees. Despite these provisions, physical fundraising will remain an important part of implementing welfare schemes. There is no complete clarity in the law regarding fund raising.
