Gig workers at receiving end of slack labour laws

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: There have been an increasing number of cases of harassment of gig workers in the city with the authorities neither taking note of the issue or the companies that employ them. Recently, a delivery person from the grocery delivery application Blinkit was allegedly assaulted by a couple in Bengaluru for missing two items in the parcel.

Angered over this, several gig workers came out in protest in front of the Prestige Sunrise Park Norwood Apartments in Electronic city, where the couple resides. Vinay Sarathi, president of United Food Delivery personnel Union, said that delivery personnel often are on assignments that require them to travel to remote areas at odd hours.

The security concerns of such workers, however, have not been addressed. “There are several instances where the delivery person has been attacked, robbed and harassed. But nothing is being done about this by the labour department or the companies,” he alleged.

The incidents of such harassments saw a sharp rise during the pandemic. The union has since brought the matter to the notice of the labour department as well as the companies but without any response from either of them. Further, Sarathi gave an example of a recent incident wherein a delivery worker near Kengeri met with an unfortunate mishap.

When the delivery person contacted the customer care of his company, they promised him that another agent will be assigned to provide him assistance. However, when the assigned personnel arrived at the spot, he only took the items that were scheduled to be delivered and did nothing to help the person. Many delivery persons fear that the same might may happen to them as well. As a result, many choose to refuse orders from remote areas as they fear for their security.

A recent study by Fairwork India in association with Oxford University of 12 digital platforms based on their pay, work conditions, contracts, management and representation, stated, “In the eyes of the law, gig workers are independent contractors, which means they are not entitled to labour rights in a manner that unorganised workers or employees are.”

Professor Balaji Parthasarathy, the Principal Investigator of the team said, “A starting point to improve their working conditions would be to ensure that they receive at least the hourly minimum wage, after considering work-related costs, and ensuring that the demands they make through collective action are heard, acknowledged and considered by the platforms,” he explained. The National Law University is currently working on a draft model law for gig workers.