Gig Subcontinent #9: Courage

The last topic in Vandana Vasudevan’s OTP Please is courage.

 

If gig workers cannot unite (they aren’t employees, and they don’t meet each other, nor is there a physical office), how can/do they hope to improve things? Well, some of them have turned activists getting in touch with MLA’s and sometimes CM’s to ask for upper limits on the number of cabs. They tell the government of the risk of so many jobs being tied to private companies that are often unprofitable for years on end and run the risk of shutting shop.

 

Some have lobbied for new laws to protect and give benefits to gig workers, like insurance and health benefits. Social media can be used as a forum to vent about the worst practices, and sometimes it helps move the needle.

 

Such gig work related problems (and solutions) aren’t unique to the subcontinent. Europe has its share of both problems and attempted solutions for gig workers. Sometimes, they flow from one region to the other.

 

Sometimes, local alternatives are an improvement over global corporations. After all, they have a local connect and a better understanding of the ground realities. Namma Yatri is one such example of a Bangalore based ride hailing app. Nepal and Sri Lanka have had local companies serve local needs better.

 

Some restaurants consciously avoid being on the apps. Why? Because they feel their brand and connect gets diluted and lost. As one such owner said:

“Our product is not a dish; our product is the experience of coming to the restaurant… a certain ambience, music playing and a certain vibe.”

Another one said:

“I can’t own my customers. You don’t even know who that guy is.”

 

Other movements try to question the whole “quick delivery” need. Why does everything need to be delivered within 10 minutes? Doesn’t it lead to more fuel consumption and pollution (Side note: In Nepal, Pathao uses bicycles for delivery, but that’s not a real option in most places)? How much technology is too much technology? Does everything need an app? This approach obviously doesn’t change things much, but at least it is an attempt.

 

India’s 2020 Social Security Code now includes gig workers. The Human Rights Commission took notice and acted against the practices in certain warehouses. Companies like Urban Company have revisited the way they evaluate customer ratings and at least announced measures to give a certain minimum wage after factoring in for work-related costs.

 

When Zomato made an appeal in 2024 to avoid ordering food during the sweltering heat (to help avoid delivery boys having to travel in those conditions), sadly, the public’s reaction was one of unhappiness.

 

The Indian government has tried to create government owned platforms like ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) for sellers to come to, with better terms and greater transparency.

 

Every now and then, individual states frame new laws and regulations to improve/ban certain practices. Sometimes, they help. At other times, they do more harm than good.

 

All in all:

“Things are improving, but not across the board and not fast enough.”

 

Vasudevan sums the entire topic of gig work perfectly when she writes:

“We are in the midst of a transformative phase where the way we do routine things required to conduct our daily lives – eating, buying and commuting – has changed irrevocably. A new, wonderous tech-driven world has emerged and will only further draw us into its maze. We must now navigate it carefully and dodge those bullets that threaten our essential humanity.”