Low fuel allowance, bad work conditions irk delivery executives in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: While delivery executives around Bengaluru are struggling with the rise in fuel prices, they are also affected by food delivery companies not accounting for the price rise, and even cutting allowances during the pandemic.

Shaik Salauddin, National General Secretary, the Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT) spoke to The New Indian Express, highlighting the issues that delivery executives are currently facing.

He mentioned that though the price of fuel had sky-rocketed over the years, measures had not been taken to account for it. "But food delivery companies like Swiggy and Zomato have cut daily fuel allowances due to the pandemic," he said.

Issues faced by delivery executives in Bengaluru are numerous. From being accosted, to getting fined for frivolous reasons, delivery executives find it difficult to air their grievances to their respective companies. "Whenever we try to tell the company to adjust to the rising prices, they refuse or just ignore us," said a delivery executive working for Swiggy.

Another big issue that they currently face, said Salauddin, is a rise in accidents owing to decreasing delivery time promised by the companies. "They keep saying 15-minute and 10-minute deliveries, but how are they supposed to cope? They’re given no security, their compensation is only Rs 1 lakh, but hospital bills climb higher than that," he said. 

Various executives have voiced multiple complaints on the companies making them work through bad weather conditions, and sometimes, for as long as 15 hours a day for very little incentive. Recently, a few companies have started advertising 10-minute deliveries, with executives citing concerns.

While two of the major companies, Swiggy and Zomato, could not be reached for comment, Salauddin mentioned that current petrol allowances had been reduced from Rs 35/km to Rs 20/km during the pandemic, and had not risen since.

Meanwhile, a delivery executive who works for one of the companies in Bengaluru said that he only got a daily fuel allowance of Rs 250, having to dip into his own salary to pay for fuel. Meanwhile, IFAT had filed a PIL in the Supreme Court in September to allow for social security benefits for gig workers, as well as holding the companies accountable.