‘They are humans, not robots or bonded labourers’: AAP leader backs gig workers’ strike

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha on Wednesday extended support to the nationwide strike by gig workers associated with leading delivery and e-commerce platforms, asserting that their voices and demands deserve to be heard as they are “humans, not robots or bonded labour”.

Thousands of gig workers linked to major delivery and e-commerce platforms observed a nationwide strike on Wednesday, impacting services across several states.

Delivery partners working with companies such as Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, Zepto, Amazon and Flipkart logged off their applications or substantially reduced work, triggering concerns over delays, cancellations and service disruptions on one of the busiest commercial days of the year.

The protest has been jointly called by the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) and the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT), with backing from several regional collectives operating across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi-NCR, West Bengal and parts of Tamil Nadu.

Speaking to IANS, Chadha, who has been consistently raising the issue over recent months, said, “I express my solidarity with the delivery boys and riders who are on strike today. Their demands in this protest are completely justified. They are lodging a symbolic protest so that their voices are heard. I also urge the instant commerce companies to take care of these delivery partners; they are also humans, they are not robots or bonded labour. They are also someone’s father, son, husband or brother.”

Highlighting their grievances, he added, “They are saying that they are very overworked and underpaid. Their core demands include better social security, improved working conditions, financial compensation and PF benefits. Additionally, this 10-minute delivery torture, because of which their physical and mental health is deteriorating, should also end. When delivery partners fail to deliver orders within 10 minutes, they have to deal with the customer’s anger.”

Chadha, who raised the issue during the Winter Session of Parliament, further appealed to companies to allocate a small fraction of their valuation or gross revenue towards improving the lives of delivery partners, saying that such steps would make the “workers proud”.

“Following today’s protest, it is essential that these issues are addressed collectively through meaningful dialogue involving all stakeholders,” he added.

The AAP MP recently met Himanshu Thapliyal, a Blinkit delivery partner who had gone viral after speaking about the meagre earnings of gig workers.

Thapliyal was invited to Chadha’s residence for lunch after the MP raised concerns about the gig economy in Parliament. During the interaction, the rider detailed the pressures of delivery work, pointing to unpredictable shifts, algorithm-driven targets, inconsistent income and limited access to grievance redressal mechanisms as routine challenges faced by riders.

Speaking about the meeting, Chadha said, “I believe a detailed discussion must first be held with these delivery partners — the riders and delivery boys. There are many issues that perhaps you and even we were not fully aware of until now. When I invited a rider named Himanshu from Blinkit to my home and spent around 2.5 to 3 hours with him, sharing a meal and talking, I understood their concerns. After that, their charter of demands and concerns was communicated to the management of these companies.”

Chadha also alleged that delivery partners were being threatened by companies and team leaders for participating in the protest.

“For the past two to three days, every delivery boy and rider who has met me has been saying one thing for sure: when they plan to go on strike, they are being intimidated by some team leaders and some companies. I won’t say everyone is doing this, but I believe that it is wrong,” he said.

The AAP MP further said that in a democracy, everyone has the right to raise their voice and protest.

“Their voice should be heard. They have gone on strike for a reason, a symbolic one-day strike, so that their voice reaches the right ears,” he added.

Expressing confidence in a resolution, Chadha added, “I am confident a positive solution will emerge because these gig workers, these delivery boys, are the backbone, the pillar of this entire e-commerce industry. I feel this pillar deserves attention. Now that voices are rising from across the country, the issue has been raised in Parliament and outside as well. We will surely find a solution together, and things will improve.”

IANS