look news india
New Delhi: Zepto, a fast delivery company, has once again been involved in controversies. The company has been facing serious allegations of giving less salary to its delivery partners and getting them excessive work. The matter has now reached the Labor Department, where employees and unions have filed a complaint against the company.[1]
Major complaints of employees:
Unions like Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) and Rajdhani App Workers Union (RAWU) have raised their voice against Zepto.Employees allege that the payment rate per delivery has been cut huge, due to which they are getting only Rs 10-15 per order. Despite working for a long time, they have no minimum income guarantee.
In addition, the deadline for transporting goods within 10–15 minutes puts heavy pressure on the employees, forcing them to drive fast and increases the risk of road accidents. Unions say that speed is being given priority instead of security.
Employees have also raised issues such as arbitrary fines, penalty based on rating and suspension of accounts without any appropriate grievance redressal process. Many dark stores also lack basic facilities like rest, drinking water and toilets. Not only this, delivery partners have to bear operational expenses like fuel, mobile data and vehicle maintenance themselves.
Exploitation of workers and demands of union:
Unions have accused Zepto of exploitation of workers. He says that Zepto and its third party vendors, such as Kilon Jio Engineering Private Limited, are misleading workers, especially the employees admitted from rural areas are being given incorrect information about salaries, housing and working conditions. It is alleged that on reaching Delhi, these employees were kept in the same room with 10-12 people and food was also given conditional and poor quality. In many cases, the referral bonus is also accused of grabbing by vendors.
The unions have urged the Labor Department to intervene in the matter, inspect zepto installations, ensure compliance with minimum wage standards and hold a tripartite meeting which includes government officials, company management and union representatives to solve the strike.Employees at several Zapto stores in Hyderabad have been on a peaceful strike for the last few days. According to some reports, Zepto has also been accused of blocking the ID of employees involved in the strike or talking to the media.
Zepto has denied these allegations. The company says that they pay competitive per hour salary to their delivery partners and provide them with comprehensive welfare benefits, including access to facilities at insurance and dark stores. According to the company, delivery partners in Hyderabad are earning Rs 100-120 per hour, and this income has been stable in recent weeks. Zepto also says that they do not pressurize the delivery partners to hurry or punish them for delay. Accepting the strike, the company has assured to resolve it soon and said that 97% of the order costs are allocated to the delivery partners. On the allegations in Delhi, Zepto said that this could be a local issue and they are investigating concerns about Kilton Jio Engineering. The company also clarified that there is no concept of ‘temporary ID’ in their system and no joining bonus is given to riders under the Rural Mobilization Program (RMP).
What next?
The matter is now with the Labor Department, and it is expected that the department will investigate the matter and take appropriate action. This incident has once again questioned the rights of Gig workers and the circumstances of their work. It will be important to see what happens next in this case and whether zepto and other similar platforms take concrete steps for the betterment of their employees.
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