Paridhi Choudhary | October 4, 2024

A hundred Swiggy delivery partners became sales executives in the past five weeks. This might
seem like good news, even a progressive one, where a gig worker is promoted and gets an
opportunity to participate in the organized sector. The question worth positing is whether such
promotions need to be glorified and advertised by e-commerce platforms, when in reality they
are just a part of a standard procedure.
Gig workers are excluded from labor rights in law and policy. They are not
classified as workers and are denied rights won by labor unions during the course of history,
said a 2021 report by People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR).
“They can not pick and choose some instances and say that changes are coming in the
industry, we should look at the larger picture where workers are denied basic rights,” said Shaik
Salauddin, national general secretary, Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers
(IFAT).
A delivery partner named Naresh(age) from Telangana died in an accident on 12 September,
2024 while on duty. The family of the deceased and the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers
Union demanded the e-commerce app to compensate his family. Naresh was also not provided
the standard life insurance up to Rs10 lakh promised by Swiggy and Zomato.
Swiggy also rolled out a gold, silver, and bronze ranking for its delivery partners. Only those with
a gold ranking, which requires completing 100 deliveries in a week, get health insurance. A
delivery partner can be stripped of their gold ranking the moment they fail to complete the
delivery requirements.
“I started working for Zomato thinking that I’d have flexible working hours and focus on my
health but now I’m in a constant sense of urgency where I feel like I’m racing against time and
the other delivery partners only to earn so little at the end of the day.” said Bhagyaraj, a 28-year-
old delivery partner with Zomato.
Many workers like Bhagyaraj are not free to choose their work or the money they pocket from
each delivery. The workers often face unpleasant interactions, with no consequence for the
perpetrator. The platform can also demote and suspend workers at their disposal.
Rajasthan is the first state to recognize gig workers such as delivery partners, cab drivers, and
other platform-based workers as part of the organized workforce of the country and enable them
to receive social security benefits. The Karnataka government also introduced the Karnataka
Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2024 which aims to protect the

rights of gig workers by establishing a welfare board. The bill is yet to be discussed in the
Karnataka state assembly.
These legislations are the first step towards formalizing the gig workforce and only
successful implementation will provide the support and benefit they deserve. The real reform for
gig workers can only be brought in if gig workers are recognized as laborers, not through the PR
stunts of the private companies. The promotion of delivery partners should not be glorified but a
norm and until the gig workers are treated with dignity we have no reason to glorify the bare
minimum.