Gig Workers' Strike: Raghav Chadha Offers To Mediate For Delivery Persons - 'They Are Not Robots'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha has offered to mediate between companies and gig workers amid a strike call by gig workers' unions on New Year's Eve, 31 December. Stressing that the delivery persons should be treated with dignity and not as item-delivering robots with unrealistic delivery expectations, Chadha said the gig workers are the“backbone of billion-dollar companies and invisible wheels driving the Digital India initiative”.

Chadha said,“I am willing to mediate between the companies and gig workers. They deserve dignity and respect at work. Delivery boys 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 gig workers' strike, the AAP MP said,“After spending hours with a Blinkit rider, I understood many of their problems and am documenting them to raise with the instant commerce company management to seek solutions, dignity, and social security. This is a solvable issue that requires flexibility from companies.”

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“I express solidarity with delivery personnel and riders on strike. Their one-day protest reflects genuine demands for social security, fair pay, relief from unsafe delivery pressures and stable employment. These gig workers are the backbone of billion-dollar companies, and even small investments in their welfare and fair rules can ensure justice and motivation. They are the invisible wheels driving Digital India and the startup economy,” he said.

The December 31 strike

The Telangana Gig and Platform Workers' Union (TGPWU) and the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) have claimed that lakhs of workers are set to join a nationwide strike to demand better pay and improved working conditions.

The strike may impact the operations of food delivery and quick commerce firms, such as Zomato, Swiggy, BlinkIt, Instamart, and Zepto, on New Year's Eve, when demand is at an all-time high.

Anticipating massive disruption in the services, Zomato and Swiggy have offered more incentives for their partners on New Year's Eve.

While 120 to ₹150 per order">Zomato has offered delivery partners payouts of ₹120 to ₹150 per order between 6 PM and 12 AM on New Year's Eve. The platform has also promised earnings of up to ₹3,000 for the day, depending on order volumes and worker availability, sources said.

Additionally, Zomato has temporarily waived penalties for order denials and cancellations.

Similarly, Swiggy has also increased incentives around the year-end period, offering delivery workers earnings of up to ₹10,000 on 31 December and 1 January, according to people familiar with the development.

On New Year's Eve, the platform is advertising peak-hour earnings of up to ₹2,000 for the six-hour period between 6:00 PM and 12:00 AM.

In a joint statement, TGPWU and IFAT said,“As of last night, over 1.7 lakh delivery and app-based workers across India have confirmed participation, with numbers expected to rise further by evening.”

(With agency inputs)

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