Residents across Delhi-NCR are likely to face delays and order cancellations on Wednesday, New Year’s Eve, typically the year’s busiest day for food delivery and transport apps, as thousands of gig workers are expected to go on a nationwide strike.
The call for the strike by the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers, Gig and Platform Service Workers’ Union, and several other independent workers follows similar action taken on Christmas that disrupted services.
Workers’ ordeal
Despite the companies’ claim that they are “gig-worker centric”, the workers said that the ground reality is different. Workers have been stranded by companies when it comes to taking responsibility for them, according to the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers.
“We are labelled as independent partners, so we are not considered for the risks that come along with the work. The accidents and medical bills we incur are considered personal expenses. The strike is to highlight these issues, and we demand that the algorithm-based system be stopped. The 10-minute delivery trap is unrealistic, and the worker loses more than what they get,” said a worker.
