More Than 20% Gig Workers Work 70+ Hours Per Week: Report
New Delhi: On December 31 — one of the busiest days of the year — more than 2,00,000 gig workers operating for various e-commerce, food and grocery, ride-hailing, and personal care delivery platforms went on a strike, demanding better pay and social security benefits.
The strike drew attention to the 10-minute delivery model formulating the basis for India’s rapidly growing quick commerce industry; dominated by platforms such Blinkit and Zepto which promise door-to-door, uber-swift availability of a myriad of amenities ranging from groceries and toiletries to the latest iPhones.
A new report has highlighted the issues gig workers face, and why they chose to strike.
The NGO Janpahal conducted a nationwide survey, documenting the everyday occupational hazards faced by platform workers, especially during extreme weather conditions. Interviewing over 1,000 platform workers across ten metropolitan cities, Janpahal presented its initial findings in the report “Occupational Safety and Health of Platform-Based Gig Workers in India.”
The survey indicates that platform work remains largely outside the reach of occupational safety and health (OSH) regulations; workers constantly being exposed to compromising working conditions often falling outside the ambit of what the International Labour Organisation (ILO) constitutes as “a safe and healthy work environment.”
Platform work is predominantly characterised by long-hours and sustained engagement: "More than half of respondents reported working more than 49 hours per week, with nearly one-fourth reporting working over 70 hours per week. These working hours are well above the formal-sector limit of 48 hours per week set out under various labour laws." Prolonged hours exacerbate the already high occupational safety concerns associated with gig work such as poor road conditions, risks of accidents, and exposure to violence and harassment while working.
The speed required from "delivery partners" as a number apps call gig workers, means that they are at high risk of road accidents. This was evidenced by Janpahal's survey.
Source: Janpahal
Additionally, approximately half of the survey’s respondents denied having accident or health insurance, reporting difficulties in accessing schemes. The demanding nature of gig work exposes workers to not only physical and psychological strain but also to harsh weather conditions against which they have little to no reprieve.
Source: Janpahal
Their access to basic amenities such as drinking water, washroom facilities and rest stations is severely limited — most urban infrastructure unfit for safe, healthy, and dignified gig work. More than 50% of the respondents said they had to resort to buying water themselves.
Source: Janpahal
Extreme weather conditions were also a common concern. "Extreme heat was the most commonly reported condition, followed by extreme cold and heavy rain. Almost all respondents reported that heat affected their ability to work, with a large majority reporting moderate to major impacts on productivity and safety."
Source: Janpahal
These findings, Janpahal has pointed out, "indicate that platform work in India is characterised by multiple, overlapping occupational safety and health risks. Routine exposure to unsafe road conditions, violence, health strain, lack of basic amenities, and climate extremes reflects a structural deficit in protections for platform workers."
Quick commerce companies function on a simple formula — the more orders one delivers, the more one earns. Capitalising on urban India’s psychological fixation of instant gratification, the gig economy has expanded exponentially over the last five years. According to a report by Niti Aayog, India’s steadily growing gig economy is projected to witness a hike in the number of gig workers, reaching an astounding 23.5 million by 2030 as compared to 7.7 million in 2021. Given these realities, the concerns gig workers are raising cannot go ignored.
Ritvi Jain is an intern at The Wire.
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