In an unprecedented move, a mass bandh is scheduled to disrupt services across Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad on October 25, 2023, with various sectors, including food delivery and cab services, grinding to a temporary halt. The Baghtoy Rickshawala Association spearheads this effort, presenting a comprehensive set of demands that resonate with workers across the gig economy.
Speaking to Pune Pulse, Dr. Keshav Kshirsagar, President of the Baghtoy Rickshawala Association in Pune, highlighted, “Lakhs & lakhs of people will take part in the mass bandh on October 25. Also, the usual auto rickshaws and other services will continue to run during the bandh, with only Uber, Ola, Swiggy, Zomato, and similar apps suspending their operations for Wednesday.”
Top Demands of Cab Drivers:
- Fair Rate System: Cab drivers advocate for the establishment of cab base rates, similar to rickshaw taxi meters, with recommendations from the Khatua committee.
- Fleet Control: They insist that companies like Everest Fleet should not negatively impact the everyday business of common cab drivers and must be brought under immediate control.
- Outstation Trip Protection: Cab drivers seek to prevent private vendors from taking outstation trips that rightfully belong to common cab drivers.
- Support Mechanisms: They demand the creation of effective online and offline support systems to address any issues encountered by drivers during their trips.
- Fair Investigation: Before taking punitive measures like blocking IDs or imposing fines on drivers, they call for a thorough investigation of passenger complaints and action against brokers involved in ID unblocking.
- Pricing Structure: Cab drivers aim to maintain pick-up charges, waiting charges, passenger cancellation charges, and night charges at their previous levels.
Top Demands of Rickshaw Pullers:
- Halt Platform Fees: Rickshaw pullers urge the immediate cessation of platform fees and the implementation of a waiting fee structure similar to taxi meters.
- Fair Competition: They assert that app-based cab services have undercut rickshaws, making it difficult to sustain fares, impacting rickshaw pullers’ livelihoods.
Top Demands of Food / Parcel Delivery Personnel:
- Uniform Order Rates: Delivery personnel demand standardized order rates, with a minimum increase of 50%.
- Issue Resolution: They call for a mechanism to promptly address delivery personnel’s concerns, with team leaders taking a priority role in resolving issues.
- Transparency in Distance: Delivery workers emphasize transparency in distance calculations and the cessation of practices aimed at denying incentives to delivery personnel.
- Fair Investigations: Similar to cab drivers, delivery personnel advocate for thorough investigations into customer complaints before any punitive measures are taken.
- Minimum Wages and Compensation: They seek provisions for earning minimum wages per day and compensation if those wages are not met.
These concerns echo throughout various sectors of the gig economy, including workers on platforms like Porter and Urban Co. It is hoped that the implementation of the Maharashtra Gig Workers Act and Maharashtra Cab Aggregator Rules, which are being demanded, will address almost 90% of these issues. A symbolic one-day bandh on October 25, 2023, serves as a collective effort to ensure these demands are effectively met in the near future.
