Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has urged quick-commerce companies to discontinue the claim and branding of 10-minute delivery services to protect the rights and safety of gig workers, CNBC-TV18 reported on Tuesday.
Unidentified officials in the labour ministry told the news outlet that Mandaviya held a series of meetings with representatives of Blinkit, Zepto, Zomato and Swiggy in the past month to discuss delivery timelines and their impact on workers.
The meetings came weeks after several unions, including the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers and the Gig and Platform Service Workers Union, called on workers in the quick-commerce sector to strike in the last week of December to demand reforms in the gig economy.
The workers had sought regulation of platform companies under labour laws, a ban on unsafe 10-minute delivery models, an end to arbitrary ID blocking and penalties, transparent wages, social security, and protection of the right to organise and engage in collective bargaining.
The protests disrupted the operations of Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit and Zepto in several cities ahead of the New Year celebrations.
An unidentified Labour Ministry official told The Hindu that during the meetings, Mandaviya questioned platforms about the promise of 10-minute deliveries.
Company representatives told the minister that such timelines were enabled by warehouses located close to consumers and not by putting pressure on delivery workers.
“However, the minister urged them to stop this branding practice considering the health and welfare of delivery workers and the companies agreed,” the official was quoted as saying.
As part of this change, Blinkit has updated its brand messaging, CNBC TV18 reported. The company has revised its principal tagline from “10,000+ products delivered in 10 minutes” to “30,000+ products delivered at your doorstep”, according to the news outlet.
The company is yet to issue an official statement regarding and it is unclear whether the proposal has been accepted or what the timeline for its implementation would be.
Aam Aadmi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha said he was “deeply grateful” for the “decisive and compassionate” intervention.
“This is a much-needed step because when ‘10 minutes’ is printed on a rider’s t-shirt/jacket/bag and a timer runs on the customer’s screen, the pressure is real, constant and dangerous,” he said in a social media post.
Chadha added the move would help ensure the safety of delivery riders and others on the road.
Earlier, gig workers had also submitted a memorandum to Mandaviya seeking his intervention to discontinue 10-20 minute delivery mandates, The Hindu reported.
Welcoming the intervention, Shaik Salauddin, general secretary of the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers, said the move addressed long-standing concerns.
“The 10-minute delivery model forced delivery partners into dangerous road behaviour, extreme stress and unsafe working conditions,” Salauddin was quoted as saying. “We welcome and thank the minister for listening to workers’ voices and intervening decisively in the interest of their safety.”
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