Swiggy staff strike in Chennai leaves customers stranded

Demanding  wage and bonus changes, a group of workers from Swiggy’s food delivery division began an open-ended strike on Monday. The strike was initiated after S Ramakrishna, the general secretary, food and other goods delivery employees association, Tamil Nadu, informed TNIE that Swiggy had reduced various employee perks, such as delivery fees, incentives, and petrol allowances.

Furthermore, the employees are being subjected to fines for late deliveries, without any consideration for their concerns. 

Hence, expressing their anger, employees have initiated a strike and are taking turns protesting in front of the collectorate. This strike has directly impacted customers, who are facing difficulties in placing orders. Many users expressed concerns and frustration stating that neither are there  availability of shops on the website, nor any delivery partners.

Additionally, it is also noted that the app doesn’t have any small shops available anymore and the remaining shops have raised the delivery fees too high. Additionally, customers have  reported that the delivery time has also exceeded than the usual duration.

Ramakrishna stated that the workers initiated the strike after providing appropriate notice to both the company and the labour department. In terms of government assistance, Ramakrishna mentioned that the labour welfare department has formed a committee consisting of three members, with a joint commissioner leading the committee, to tackle the grievances raised by the employees.

He also mentioned that efforts are being made to ensure the social security of the food delivery workers. Ramakrishna emphasised that they will not resume accepting orders until Swiggy demonstrates a willingness to meet their demands.