After Christmas, your New Year celebrations may also get spoiled. Yes, this is because the delivery workers of big platforms like Swiggy, Zomato, Amazon, Zepto, Blinkit and Flipkart have once again announced a strike across the country. They had earlier also gone on strike on 25th December, which was completely successful. The delivery union says that repeated strikes will put pressure on platform companies, as conditions in the gig economy are continuously worsening.
Thousands of delivery workers will take part in this strike
This strike has been called by Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union and Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers. Thousands of delivery workers from metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad as well as tier-2 cities will participate in it. Union leaders say that the demand for fast delivery is continuously increasing, but the workers are not getting adequate payment for it. Let us know why the delivery boys are going on strike.
Biggest problem: Control of algorithms
The biggest anger of the delivery workers is on the algorithm of the app. These algorithms decide how much they will get paid, how many deliveries they have to complete, and when and how much incentive they will receive. Everything happens without any transparency. Delivery times have been steadily reduced to 10-15 minutes, but the risk falls on the workers. Incentive rules also change suddenly, due to which income becomes uncertain.
Declining earnings and job insecurity
The union says that delivery workers work the most during festivals, weekends and peak hours. Nevertheless, his earnings are continuously decreasing. The working hours are also very long. The union says that unsafe deadlines are increasing the risk of road accidents. Apart from this, work IDs are being blocked without any reason. Delay or failure in payment also causes problems.
Demands related to social security and welfare
The demands put forward by the workers include fixed rest breaks, health insurance, accident cover, pension benefits and a strong grievance redressal system inside the app. These complaints relate to payments, routes, fair treatment of penalties etc. Apart from this, the biggest demand of the workers is that ultra-fast delivery (10 minute delivery) should be stopped. Workers say this increases risky behavior on the road to meet targets. The life and health of workers should not be put at risk in the name of customer convenience.
Increasing pressure on the platform
Continuous strikes during the festive season and the last days of the year will increase the pressure on companies and the government. If a large number of workers join the strike, there could be delays in delivery of food and packages in many cities on December 31. Unions hope that this protest will ensure that the problems of gig workers are taken seriously.