The Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) has called a strike from 12 noon till 5 PM on Saturday on account of the rise in fuel prices. In its statement, GIPSWU clarified that the rise in fuel services will cause more hardship for the workers working in food delivery services, ride-hailing services, and logistic businesses. Hence, the minimum wage rate must be ₹20 per kilometre.
As per the estimate of the union, there will be around 12 million gig and platform workers who will be affected directly. Recently, the oil marketing companies have increased the price of petrol and diesel by about ₹3 per litre. It was the first time that there had been such an increase in the past four years. The union attributed this spike to elevated international crude oil prices and persistent instability in global energy markets driven by the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
GIPSWU President Seema Singh said the sharp increase in the cost of fuel and increase in the price of LPG cylinders have greatly increased the burden of workers already grappling with rising prices of daily necessities. “If their income is not revised to compensate for the increasing cost,” she continued, “many gig workers would likely leave the industry.” In order to forestall such an occurrence, she urged the government and operators of digital platforms to institute a minimum service charge of ₹20 per kilometer for all delivery drivers and other transport workers.
Singh also highlighted that delivery riders employed by delivery giants such as Swiggy, Zomato, and Blinkit face a particularly vulnerable state of affairs because they heavily depend on two-wheelers to fulfil their responsibilities and are forced to spend excessive amounts of time in unbearable weather conditions.
Also read: Telangana Assembly passes Bill for gig workers’ welfare
Follow us
