New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Tuesday joined gig workers in celebrating a victory for their “safety, dignity and work conditions” as the government directed food delivery and quick-commerce platforms to do away with rigid “10-minute delivery” commitments.
In a video message, Chadha said that it is a memorable day for gig workers as the Central government has struck down the private companies’ “10-minute delivery” branding.
“The credit for this outcome goes to you as you all collectively put in efforts for achieving this,” he said, adding that the government acted upon their efforts despite the private companies overlooking it.
“I want to thank the Central government for intervening in the matter,” said Chadha, describing the cruelty linked to “10-minute delivery” as real.
“There is real danger involved when a delivery rider is carrying a bag or wearing a dress bearing the promise of ‘10-minute delivery’ or when he is trying to beat the 10-minute timer on a customer’s phone,” said Chadha.
He said the promise of “10-minute delivery” adds to the mental stress of delivery workers and forces them to drive dangerously to meet the deadline, endangering other road users.
“In the past few months, I interacted with many gig delivery workers, and they all complained about being underpaid and overworked, silently bearing the load of this unrealistic promise of 10-minute delivery,” said Chadha.
The AAP MP said no parliamentarian is against any private company, but they are worried about the exploitation of gig workers.
“The decision taken by the Central government will not only ensure gig workers’ safety and security but also prove to be a milestone for improvement in their dignity and working conditions,” said Chadha, reassuring gig workers that they are not alone in their fight but enjoy the support of the entire nation.
Earlier in the day, Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya asked major food delivery and quick-commerce platforms to do away with rigid ’10-minute’ delivery time commitments, stressing that the safety of delivery partners must come before speed.
Mandaviya held discussions with officials of Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy and Zomato in Delhi, during which he advised them to remove strict delivery deadlines from their platforms and promotional material in the interest of delivery workers’ safety.
Following the intervention, Blinkit has apparently removed its “10-minute delivery” claim from all its brand platforms.
All the companies assured the government that they would remove delivery-time commitments from their brand advertisements and social media platforms.
(IANS)
