Gig workers call for all-India strike on December 31; Swiggy, Zomato & Zepto will be affected; know who gig workers are

Workers have appealed to the center and states to regulate these platform companies. File photo

Gig workers have announced a nationwide strike on December 31. This will affect deliveries by Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit, Flipkart, Amazon, Zepto, and other e-commerce companies.

The Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union and the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers said these workers are protesting against deteriorating working conditions, declining earnings, lack of safety, and absence of social security.

Workers have appealed to the Centre and states to regulate these platform companies. The statement issued by gig workers also mentions a strike on December 25. Its impact could not be ascertained.

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What are the workers’ demands?

Gig workers are primarily making these 9 demands…

• A fair and transparent salary structure should be implemented.
• The 10-minute delivery model should be immediately stopped.
• ID blocks and penalties without due process should be stopped.
• Necessary gear and measures for safety should be provided.
• There should be no discrimination based on algorithms, and everyone should receive equal work.
• There should be respectful treatment from platforms and customers.
• Breaks should be provided during work, and workers should not be made to work beyond the stipulated time.
• App and technical support should be robust, especially for payment and routing issues.
• Receive social security like health insurance, accident cover, and pension.

Now know who Gig Workers are

Employees hired on a pay-per-task basis are called Gig Workers. However, such employees also remain associated with the company for a long time. Gig Workers are of 5 types.

• Independent contract employees.
• Employees working for online platforms.
• Contract firm employees.
• Employees available for work on call.
• Temporary employees.

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