'Man is free but everywhere in chains.’ This is one of the many paradoxes given by Rousseau that still holds relevance. Rousseau predicted science and technology’s enslavement of man way ahead of time. Technology has held man in shackles. Upon reflection, the fact that we have everything at the tip of our fingers isn’t as rosy and sweet as it sounds. This is an outright sign of decreasing patience and attention spans and needs to have all your desires instantly gratified. The argument goes as follows: we never have to wait for anything in this new world of immediate gratification. Want to read the book you recently heard about? You may quickly order it on your Kindle and begin reading. Do you want to see the movie your coworkers were chatting about at the water cooler? When you come home, you sit down and start watching Netflix. Getting lonely when watching or reading a book? Simply open Tinder and begin to swipe right till someone arrives at your home.
When we thought we could do away with this phenomenon, it got aggravated in the wake of the pandemic. The constant urge to get all your wants instantly gratified added to the global mental health crisis that was spawned by COVID-19. When families all over the world were restricted to the confines of their houses, it was time for the platform economy to shine. The rise in trained consumers who expect everything from groceries to furniture delivered on their doorsteps at the click of a button was exponential. But what led to this sudden spurt in the growth of platform economy? What forced working professionals to resort to gig economy? What does such employment in the unorganised system entail for them? These are some of the lacunae the writer will try to bridge during the course of this article.
The rapidly burgeoning gig workforce is ushering in a new economic revolution globally. India – with its demographic dividend of half-a- billion labour force and the world’s youngest population, rapid urbanisation, widespread adoption of smartphones and associated technology – is the new frontier of this revolution. Nonetheless, the closest revolution that the exponentially flourishing gig economy could bring about in the lives of the 77 lakh gig workers is the sudden depletion in their pay, working conditions and access to labour rights. This height of exploitation and precarious working conditions is disguised as ‘flexible working’ by most unicorns that are engage this line – be it Zomato, blinkit (formerly groffers), Zepto or Swiggy Instamart. The list keeps getting longer owing to the rat race aimed at lining the pockets of these companies at the expense of the safety of their delivery ‘partners’.
The sheer irony of this situation lies in how the plight of these overworked individuals is being glossed over by statements like “Ride with Pride” and figures such as “1 lakh+ Happy Partners” and “10 Crore+ Happy Deliveries”. Let’s just say, the reality is far from this.
A couple of months ago, online food delivery workers took out a march in Kochi after having been on a strike for over ten days seeking higher wages. This isn’t just the case in Kochi but in almost all the metro-cities where Zomato has deployed its services. Delivery partners are aggrieved due to the recent change in the payout structure. It took them a little longer to realise that the platform economy doesn’t grant them any flexibility along with a substantial pay. You have to choose between the two since getting a substantial pay means toiling away for 12 hours at least, directly translating into time away from family and other allied responsibilities.
“I came into platform-based gigs following the death of my husband. Earlier, I used to work in the retail field. I chose the sector because I heard that the flexibility in timings will allow me time to take care of my children. Yes, it is flexible, but if you want to earn enough to run a home, you will have to slog for at least 12 hours,” says Sreeja, a woman delivery partner whose situation is no different.
The row around wages and unfair pay goes as far as scratching the surface when it comes to shedding light on the plight of these partners. The 10-minute delivery format, which got immensely popularised during and post-pandemic owing to the principle of instant gratification, ended up as a bearer of bad news for the delivery partners. The customer centric approach employed by India’s quick commerce market fails to take into account the dangerous precedent that has been set for the delivery partners. These delivery partners, who often pull 10-12 hours shift every day, are already under immense stress. Complaints are lodged against riders every day for flouting traffic norms as they are often in rush to deliver household items within the deadline. The use of the term ‘delivery partners’ by these e-commerce platforms has a layered reason to it. The term ‘delivery partners’ changes the employer-employee relations and allows companies to avoid liabilities and reduce costs. On the face of it, the term ‘delivery partners’ is a euphemism aimed at softening the blow of disparity that terms like delivery boys or workers impinge. Nonetheless, the systemic exploitation and dismal working conditions for the people who are part of this unequal partnership uncovers the harsh reality.
In April 2023, the absolute dependence on Blinkit and Zepto, for almost everything, was felt by people like us after a very long time when more than half of the 200 dark stores run by Zomato-owned quick commerce platform Blinkit in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida were shut in view of strikes by the delivery executives due to change in their payout structure. Several delivery executives said that they had signed on with Blinkit last year when the fee was Rs 50 per order, but last year, it was reduced to Rs 25 per order, and has now been reduced further to Rs 15 with a distance-based fee component being introduced. This move by Blinkit is nothing but a slap in the face of delivery partners who toiled away all those hours in pursuit of a sustainable income. At the end of the day, every company aims at maximising its profits by sidelining the interests of some of its most crucial elements. The Blinkit website advertises a pay up to Rs. 50,000 if one works as a delivery executive with them. The key word here is ‘up to’ which lures one into this capitalist trap laid down by these so-called unicorns.
If, for a minute, we are to legitimise and accept such unfair practices against delivery partners, there is no way we would be to excuse the threat to life that partners encounter to life that partners encounter on this job. The diminishing attention span and patience of people today makes them resort to verbal and physical abuse as well. A young delivery executive of Blinkit was allegedly thrashed and stabbed to death in Central Delhi, reports the Economic Times.
The Pandemic has shown that with loss of livelihood and income, the notion of autonomy and flexibility at work is meant for a privileged few. This precarious situation of delivery workers calls for affirmative action in terms of regulations, social security, and protection.
~ By Aashi Sharma
(Junior Editor, RGNUL Cosmos)
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