Delivery personnel working for Swiggy, the online food and grocery ordering platform, have been going on strike across the metros. Earlier the Mumbai workers had called a strike, followed by Bengaluru workers last week, and now Delhi.
The delivery personnel in Delhi went on a strike near an Instamart (Swiggy’s quick commerce business) dark store in Lajpat Nagar, in protest against reduction in payout.
In Bengaluru, the strike was called off on 25 July, when the Company asked the disgruntled delivery personnel to allow it a week to take care of their issues and long-pending demands.
However, the associations that had joined the strike did threaten to call a bigger strike if the Company failed to keep its word and address the workers’ grievances within a week.
The employees had been demanding a wage hike, especially when it came to deliveries made in the ‘out of zone’ areas. They were also unhappy about Swiggy allowing third-party service providers and logistics firms, such as Rapido and Shadowfax, to make deliveries.
The wages have been revised such that new executives earn Rs 20 per delivery, while the older and experienced ones earn Rs 30 per delivery. The delivery personnel in Bengaluru find these wages inadequate, given the inflationary conditions, rising price of fuel and the high cost of living in the city.
The associations have been demanding at least Rs 35 per order, and at least Rs 10 per kilometre in terms of distance pay, instead of Rs 6. They are also demanding a monthly rating incentive.
Another grouse they have is that they need to pay for the uniforms and raincoats from their own pockets, instead of the Company providing them the same free of cost.
Some of the delivery personnel complain that there is no number on which they can register their grievances and that no managers are available to pay heed to their issues / problems. Some even feel that they are not
