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New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha slammed the growing trend of 10-minute delivery services offered by quick-commerce platforms on Friday. He requested the Parliament to bring an end to this 'cruelty' as it forces gig workers to risk their lives as they rush to meet deadlines under immense pressure.
The AAP leader raised the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha. He said, "Every day we press a button on our mobile phone app and get a notification that your order is on its way, order delivered, your ride has arrived. But behind this notification, there is often a person whom we do not acknowledge."
He added, "In official language, they are called gig workers. But I call them the invisible wheels of the Indian economy. By standing on the shoulders of this silent workforce, these big e-commerce and instant-delivery apps and companies have achieved billion-dollar valuations today. They have become unicorns. But the condition of these gig workers is still worse than that of a daily wage laborer."
Chadha spoke on the rising trend of quick delivery services and said, "Nowadays, sir, a dangerous trend of 10-minute delivery is going on. Hence, a delivery boy standing at a red light keeps thinking that if he is late, his rating will drop, his incentive will be cut, the app will log him out, or his ID will be blocked. That is why, for 10-minute delivery, he overspeeds, jumps red lights, and puts his life at risk."
He said how customers lash out at them even when they are just 5-7 minutes late. He called the working situation "even worse than that of an employee working in a factory. Because they neither get permanent employment, nor humane working conditions, nor health and accident insurance."
He touched on the humane part, "I want to say that these people are not robots. They are also someone's father, husband, brother, and son. The House should think about them, and this tyranny (zulm) of 10-minute delivery should be ended," and ended his speech with, "Still, sir, they hide their pain, their job insecurity, and hopelessness. When they deliver your order, they smile and say, Sir, thank you, give me a 5-star rating."
