The Indian government had an important opportunity to take a strong and decisive step to improve worker safety. They’ve called on all quick-commerce platforms to drop their “10-minute delivery” pledges. The pandemic revealed and exacerbated long-standing inequities, including the working conditions of delivery workers, which have long been a concern. They told us about their struggles with pressures of rushed delivery schedules. The ruling comes on the heels of last week’s huge strike by thousands of delivery workers on Dec. 31. They protested for better pay and safer environments.
Quick-commerce services have exploded in popularity in India, especially since the start of the Covid pandemic. These apps use dark store model, small warehousing neighborhood style that enables them to deliver groceries and household items within minutes. This rapid expansion has understandably come with dangerous concerns about its impacts on worker safety. Delivery workers have historically complained about dangerous working conditions made worse by the need to beat intense time pressures.
The recent strike expertly underscored the human cost of this type of speed and service. Workers shared their anger at low per-order pay and the ever-present danger of being penalized for late deliveries. Akhilesh Kumar echoed that just eliminating the deadline wasn’t enough—it wouldn’t solve their insufficient compensation, he argued. Mahesh Kumar was ahead of the curve in his optimism. He understood that by eliminating the deadline, it would take out some of the stress associated with delivery tasks.
Rakesh, another delivery worker, articulated his hope that eliminating the time constraints would lessen the anxiety stemming from customer complaints. Mobin Alam, the 23-year-old workshop worker, said failure to meet deadlines means incurring big penalties. This scenario dramatically reduces their available order opportunities, furthering the challenge of attaining financial stability.
Many of these labor unions praised the government for scrapping the 10-minute delivery guarantee. Shaik Salauddin, the national general secretary of the Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers, described this move as “a significant and much-needed step in protecting the lives and dignity of gig and platform workers.” Despite this progress, Salauddin reminded us that workers are still fighting for higher wages and improved parking conditions.
Vandana Vasudevan, a researcher and author of the recent children’s book “OTP Please! For most workers, gig work is their major source of income, not a side hustle. She emphasized that these people could be classified as independent contractors. In contradiction to this, their success and creativity are at the mercy of the platform’s algorithms to nourish their livelihoods. This dependency brings up a whole host of questions about the sustainability of gig work in the context of India’s swiftly developing digital economy.
According to a report released last week by Niti Aayog — India’s policy think tank — the number of gig workers in India is expected to soar. That figure is projected to jump from 7.7 million in 2021 to an estimated 23.5 million by 2030. This massive growth further emphasizes the need to prioritize worker rights and safety as the gig economy continues to grow.
During a closed-door meeting with industry representatives, government officials pressured quick-commerce companies to stop advertising short delivery times. The call for change reflects a growing recognition of the need to balance consumer demands with the well-being of workers who power these services.
Issues around worker rights—and how they intersect with technology—are at the forefront of national discussions. As quick-commerce has transformed retail experiences in urban India, it has exposed deep-rooted issues related to worker welfare and fair compensation.