As Hyderabad grapples with incessant rains, gig workers who have been braving the adverse weather conditions shared the challenges they face while delivering food and groceries and transporting passengers to their destinations.

“I had to pay ₹650 out of my own pocket to the company for this raincoat,” said Hemant Kumar, a food delivery worker, as he delivered an order in Banjara Hills. “The company doesn’t do much for our welfare, and sometimes customers don’t understand our problems. If my bike breaks down in the rain or if it rains heavily and the order is late, the customer complains to the company. This affects my rating.”

Mohammed Jawed, a cab driver, underscored the severe toll that the persistent rains have taken on those in his profession. “During rains, we have to deal with bad roads, and waterlogging that damage our cars, both in the long and short term,” he said. The situation is exacerbated by the high cost of repairing modern vehicles, where even a faulty sensor — which he says is an expensive component — can lead to significant financial strain.

He recounted how bikes belonging to those within his network were recently submerged in water during heavy downpours. Insurance companies often refuse to cover such damages, categorising them as acts of God. Moreover, cab drivers and those who pick up and drop passengers have to deal with the possible repercussions of being unable to take rides due to rains. “Because it rains, the customer is unable to walk 50 metres. If heavy rains prevent me from reaching a customer, and suppose I have to cancel the ride, the customer might lodge a complaint. This could lead to my driver ID being temporarily suspended by the company,” he explained.

Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU), a body working for the welfare of gig and platform workers, recently submitted a memorandum to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), seeking comprehensive insurance for workers and better access to early warning systems in the aftermath of heatwaves experienced across the country earlier this year. Shaik Salauddin, State President, TGPWU, said that while heat waves do pose a health hazard for workers, intense spells of rain too have a similar effect on them.

“There is a need for more real-time information about road conditions, water-logging and which areas to avoid. Recently, a video clip went viral which showed a delivery worker in Ahmedabad working in knee-deep water, which is not good. The life and safety of workers is important. If done right, the algorithms can quickly give the right information to workers. The companies do not provide insurance. This is the right time for the government to step-in and table the long-awaited bill for gig and platform workers,” Mr Salauddin said.

New Delhi:

 Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday highlighted the plight of gig workers and asserted that the Congress governments in states would make concrete policies to solve their problems while the INDIA bloc would strive for ensuring their nationwide implementation.

Mr Gandhi made the remarks on X, where he posted a video of a recent ride he took in a Uber cab and the interaction he had with the driver.

“Low income and inflation ruining lives — this is the plight of India’s gig workers! In discussion with Sunil Upadhyay ji during a Uber ride and then, after meeting his family, took stock of the problems faced by gig workers such as cab drivers and delivery agents in the country,” the former Congress chief said in Hindi on X.

आमदनी कम और महंगाई से निकलता दम – ये है भारत के gig workers की व्यथा!

सुनील उपाध्याय जी के साथ एक Uber यात्रा के दौरान चर्चा में और फिर उनके परिवार से मिल कर देश के Cab drivers और Delivery agents जैसे gig workers की समस्याओं का जायज़ा लिया।

‘हैंड टू माउथ इनकम’ में इनका गुज़ारा… pic.twitter.com/46y9o1Iul8

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 19, 2024

“They are barely surviving on ‘hand to mouth income’ — no savings and no foundation for the family’s future. To solve these, the state governments of the Congress will do justice by making concrete policies,” he said.

The INDIA ‘janbandhan’ will ensure their nationwide implementation with full force, Mr Gandhi added.

In the over-11 minute video, Mr Gandhi is seen taking a cab ride after booking a taxi through the Uber app.

He interacts with the cab driver, who belongs to Etah in Uttar Pradesh, and asks him about his problems.

The cab driver tells Mr Gandhi that he is surviving on bare minimum funds with poor rates for drivers and no social security.

He also talks about thoughts of returning to his native village, being unable to make ends meet in Delhi.

Rahul Gandhi ends the ride and hands over a gift for the children of the cab driver.

The day after the ride, Mr Gandhi is seen having lunch with the family of the cab driver at an eatery in Delhi.

Congress leader Mr Gandhi assures them that Congress governments in various states were thinking about gig workers and he wanted to ensure social security for the drivers and their families.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh listed some of the features of the Karnataka Platform-based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill such as establishing the gig workers’ social security and welfare fund and gig workers welfare board to advocate for gig workers. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Citing legislations by its State Governments to ensure justice for gig workers, the Congress on July 11 said India needs a national legal and social security architecture for such workers and hoped that the forthcoming Union Budget will take a step in that direction.

Congress general secretary, in-charge communications, Jairam Ramesh said the Karnataka Platform-based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2024, is a landmark rights-based legislation that brings formal rights and social security to platform-based gig workers in the State.

Editorial | ​Even the odd jobs: On the Karnataka gig workers bill

The Karnataka Government last month released a draft of the proposed Karnataka Platform Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2024, which aimed to protect their rights in the State with the creation of a board, welfare fund and grievance cell among other mechanisms.

Mr. Ramesh listed some of the features of the Bill such as establishing the gig workers’ social security and welfare fund and gig workers welfare board to advocate for gig workers.

The Bill also calls for mandatory registration of all gig workers with the government and States that aggregators can no longer terminate a worker without giving 14 days prior notice and a valid reason.

According to the Bill, aggregators must make payments to gig workers every week.

“Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has been a leading voice for India’s gig workers since the Bharat Jodo Yatra,” Mr. Ramesh said in his post on X.

He said the Congress Governments in Telangana and Karnataka, and the previous Congress Government in Rajasthan, have brought powerful legislation to bring gig workers justice.

Social security for gig workers was also a key guarantee given by the Indian National Congress’s Nyay Patra for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he pointed out.

“As much as State Governments can do, India needs a national legal and social security architecture for gig workers. Their numbers are only projected to rise, from 77 lakh in 2022 to about 2.4 crore in 2030. The ball is in the court of the Union Government. Hopefully the forthcoming Budget will take a step in this direction,” Mr. Ramesh said.

According to Karnataka’s Labour department, the objectives of the proposed Bill are “to protect the rights of platform-based gig workers, to place obligations on aggregators in relation to social security, occupational health and safety, transparency in automated monitoring and decision-making systems and to provide dispute resolution mechanisms,” among others.

Making deliveries on time. Illustration of a food delivery worker riding a vehicle to drop a delivery
| Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

A survey report on food delivery partners by the National Council of Applied Economic Research validates several common beliefs, such as workers being young graduates who work extended hours for better pay and independence. However, the study also reveals new insights: a sizable portion of them are sole breadwinners in their families and a notable share experienced a drop in income compared to their previous jobs. The findings further indicate a decline in their real income over time even as the share of income that they spent on fuel has risen, resulting in a double whammy

1. A majority of them agreed that deliveries can be increased if they worked harder, while a similar share also said that this was not in their control due to traffic and restaurant delays
2. A significant share of them spent a sizeable amount buying new phones and vehicles for the job

Profile of a food delivery partner

An overview of the average food delivery worker, encompassing their background and skill sets, according to the survey

• The typical food delivery worker is a 29-year-old male
• Nearly one-fourth (23.8%) of these workers are in their first job, and of this group, 88% are students
• Food delivery workers lack social security protection. Only 61.9% of delivery workers receive rations, 12.2% possess an Ayushman Bharat card, 7.1% are registered on the e-Shram portal, and 4% are enrolled in the Atal Pension Yojana
• These workers are considered informal labour, lacking employer-provided social welfare and job security, although some may have accident insurance
• Workers on long shifts average 10.8 hours, while those on short shifts work about 5.2 hours
• A third of the workers have college degrees, and 93% have at least completed 10th standard
• 43.7% of workers are the sole wage earners, and 68.9% are non-migrants who work in their hometowns
• On average, workers stay in their food delivery roles for about 14.1 months, though a third indicate that they have no plans to leave
• In terms of tenure, 28.1% have been working in such platforms for less than a year and 25.7% for 1-2 years, making them pandemic-era hires. Meanwhile, 24.7% started before the pandemic, having worked for over two years
• Food delivery workers work 27.8% more hours than the average urban young male and earn 59.6% more. However, after accounting for fuel expenses, this income advantage narrows to 5%

Incentives

Chart 1 | A look at the reasons given by workers for joining the food delivery platforms (% respondents)

Charts appear incomplete? Click to remove AMP mode

Basis of entry

Chart 2 | How did workers enter the food delivery platform? (% respondents)

Job requirements

To work for a food delivery service, a worker is required to own a two-wheeler and know how to use it, have a smartphone, and buy a kit that includes a T-shirt and bags

Old vs new job

Chart 3 | The chart contrasts different facets of employment in food delivery platforms with the prior jobs of those who work long shifts in food delivery

Income and expenditure

Examining the change in a food delivery worker’s income levels due to this new job

Chart 4 | % of long-shift workers who said their real income (new income minus previous job’s monthly income) increased/decreased/remained same

Chart 5 | Year-wise nominal and real monthly income of long-shift food delivery workers (in ₹ thousand)

Chart 6 | Year-wise share of fuel costs for long-shift food delivery workers as a share of their income

Chart 7 | Average monthly earnings, fuel costs, and monthly spending (excluding fuel) for long-shift platform workers

Perceptions about delivery

The charts show the share of respondents who said the following:

Chart 8 | The number of deliveries can be increased if a worker tries harder

Chart 9 | The number of deliveries a worker makes is not in their control

Chart 10 | The worker can improve their rating if they are polite to their customers

Chart 11 | The worker has to spend a lot of time waiting at a restaurant for an order

Methodology

NCAER conducted a phone survey involving 924 food delivery workers from a specific platform. The survey spanned 28 cities, covering Tier 1, 2, and 3 cities across all regions of India—North, South, East, and West. It included both active and inactive or former workers, who had employment durations ranging from less than a year to over two years, working either full-time or part-time.

This report, the first output of a three-part research programme undertaken by NCAER extensively explores the socio-economic implications of workers engaged in the food delivery platform industry, shedding light on their employment patterns, incomes, and work environments. Parts two and three of the research programme reports, to be released subsequently, will evaluate the socio-economic impact of food delivery platforms on restaurants, and their systemic impact on India’s economy and labour markets.

Also read: Gig Workers Bill: reading between the lines

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