Latest news with #GIPSWU
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Workers' union launches campaign demanding inclusion, lower-priced shares as Urban Company prepares for IPO
The Gig and Platform Service Workers' Union (GIPSWU), the first women-led platform-based gig workers union in India, has launched a 'Worker Ka IPO' campaign, aiming to mobilise investors, consumers, and workers around Urban Company's upcoming IPO launch. The campaign, which demands 'a more sustainable and less precarious model for UC's growth as a public company,' calls for the inclusion of UC workers in decision-making processes through a Joint Management Council with elected worker representatives. The union has sent an open letter to the company's prospective investors with two key demands - representation and participation in management decisions around working conditions and customer relations, and right to be informed about the company's evaluation and to buy UC's stocks at a discounted price in the future. 'Our requests to you are to involve us workers ('partners') in the decision making around company growth, and to share the company's valuation with us through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan,' reads the letter, which has been signed by around 60 gig workers till date. Demand for inclusion It was in April that the home services marketplace filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with SEBI for a ₹1,900 crore IPO. Close on the heels of this, GIPSWU is producing a video series to inform the platform-based gig workers about the technicalities of the IPO and what it holds in stock for them. Manju Goel, secretary at GIPSWU HQ, New Delhi, notes that the workers wanted the same thing as investors and customers, which is for the company 'to continue as an employer, platform, and business.' 'Every other customer I service complains about the price going up, and workers are facing so much mental pressure and health issues from the way the company is functioning. We know what is important to keep the customers satisfied and keep the workers from leaving – so we should be included in decisions' says Selvi, GIPSWU Southern Region Vice President. Dolly Devi, GIPSWU Western Region Vice President, adds to it noting that there is no company without the workers. 'If they want to get rich from our labour, then we should be included in that. We invest our time and care into this work, so we should also be investors in the company' she says. Seeking customer support In tandem with the open letter to the investors, GIPSWU will also be organizing a 'DryJune' campaign asking customers to boycott Urban Company in the month of June to show their support. 'Customers can help create pressure on Urban Company to do better by its workers at this crucial pre-IPO launch time,' said a statement issued by GIPSWU. It further noted that gig workers have a stake in the success of the company and are crucial to its long-term growth and well-being,' said a statement. 'Urban Company's growth has come from exploiting gig workers through unattainable standards, low wages, sporadic bookings, sudden ID blocks, and a lack of safety mechanisms, in an environment that does not offer better job options. It does not have to be this way. Including gig workers in decision-making processes could help the company avoid labour exploitation and achieve sustainable growth by better matching business needs with capabilities on the ground,' it read.
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Business Standard
06-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Blinkit delivery staff say IDs blocked after strike, restored on apology
Delivery partners said the company asked them to give written assurance against repeating such actions, warning it could take any action if they failed to comply New Delhi In the wake of a two-day strike (April 26, 27) at Blinkit 's Ranipur store in Varanasi, the quick commerce (q-com) platform blocked the IDs of nearly 150 delivery partners — reinstating only those who signed a pledge not to protest again. According to the Gig and Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU), almost 120 delivery partners have signed these documents and sent video messages to the company, retracting their support for the protest. The delivery partners staged a protest to demand the ending of mandatory work hours between 12-4 PM, increasing the minimum wage, assigning proper rest areas, and providing cotton clothes alongside other basic amenities for summers. Business Standard spoke to affected delivery partners (a mix of those whose IDs are still blocked or recently unblocked). The partners say the company has given a tit-for-tat response to their protest and is capitalising on unemployment or lack of alternative employment opportunities. Nirmal Gorana Agni, the national coordinator of GIPSWU, said the action of the company is punitive. "There are around 25-30 IDs which are still left to be unblocked. The company's requirement to demand workers to work during peak sunny hours (from 12-4 PM) falls under the category of forced labour. Overall, there are no regulations or laws that protect the companies from such unprofessional attitudes from companies." GIPSWU had also written to the labour department of Varanasi and the city's district magistrate's office. Delivery partners said that the company demanded the workers to submit to them in writing that they would not engage in such activities in the future otherwise, it has the right to take any action against them. Akash Rai is a Varanasi-based Blinkit delivery worker whose ID still remains unblocked. "It has been five years since I have been working with Blinkit and at this point, when the workers demanded their basic rights, the company left us alone. They (Blinkit) had asked me to send a maafinama (apology letter) and a video, but I will not do it. The company has significantly changed its rate card which is making our survival difficult." Rai is currently working with another q-com platform Swiggy Instamart. Rai explained that while in the past the company gave an incentive of over Rs 100 on 10 orders, the amount has been significantly slashed. He added that delivery partners get just Rs 14-15 for a distance of 500-600 metres and Rs 35 for 3-3.5 kilometres. "Out of this, the petrol per day costs Rs 200, eating outside costs Rs 100, and on top of it, there is bike maintenance and household expenses," he said. Another delivery partner, Radha Gupta, uses a cycle to deliver orders. "I have two daughters (aged 15 and 18) and am a single mother. We live in a rented space in Varanasi. My ID is still disabled because I have not sent the video to the company yet. I am scared to give my submission in writing because the company can hold me responsible for anything wrong that may happen in the future, it is scary," she said. Similar to Rai, Gupta has also started working with Swiggy Instamart. However, she said that the incentives at her new workplace are also minimal. "There are not enough orders to be assigned to one specific delivery worker for them to get enough incentives," she added. Unlike Rai and Gupta, delivery partner Abhishek Kumar's ID has been unblocked after he signed the required document and has restarted working with Blinkit. "I got my ID unblocked by making a video and sending it to the company. Even if the ID is unblocked, the working conditions are the same as before (prior to the strike)," he said, adding that it is not gig work anymore as delivery partners are required to work in mandated time slots assigned by the company. Similar to protesting BluSmart drivers who lost jobs after the company shut operations last month, other gig workers (including those of Blinkit) said that they should have the right to form unions to facilitate collective bargaining with the company.
The Hindu
29-04-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Blinkit workers in Varanasi go on strike over fair pay and heat safety measures
Blinkit workers in Varanasi who went on strike to demand fair pay and safer working conditions during India's extreme summer heat had their IDs blocked by the platform, claimed the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU). About 150 Blinkit workers in Shri Ram Colony, Varanasi, went on strike on April 26, per the union. Their demands included an end to mandatory work between 12 PM and 4 PM due to the extreme heat, the provision of shaded waiting areas with drinking water and fans, and cotton uniforms for the summer. 'On April 27, 2025, a company representative threatened the striking workers with police action and demanded they sign affidavits vowing to never strike again. The workers remain resolute in their demands,' said GIPSWU on its website. The union claimed that Blinkit management blocked the IDs of around 150 workers, due to their strike. #Blinkit has blocked IDs of 150 workers for exercising their constitutional right ofvgoing on strike to demand: -An end to mandatory work between 12-4 pm. -Shaded waiting areas with drinking water, and fans. -Cotton uniforms for the summer.# — Gig & Platfrom Services Workers Union GIPSWU (@GIPSWU_) April 28, 2025 GIPSWU called the move 'unconstitutional' and shared photos and videos of the striking workers, who are seen chanting in Hindi, 'Fulfill our demands, stop our exploitation, and long live labour unions!' As India heads into a scorching hot summer, gig workers and quick commerce delivery professionals who travel long distances by bike in high temperatures face the risk of heat-related health conditions or even heat death. 'All over the world, gig workers are expected to rush through extreme heat, rain, and snow with no breaks for food or water or bathroom... all for a 10 minute delivery...' said GIPSWU in a post. Blinkit is yet to officially respond to the strike.
Hindustan Times
29-04-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Blinkit suspends 150 gig workers for demanding better pay, drinking water: report
Around 150 Blinkit gig workers went on a strike in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh this weekend demanding fair pay, better working conditions and cotton uniforms for the summer. They now claim that the Zomato-owned grocery delivery platform responded by blocking their IDs – citing the strike as the reason – and made them sign an agreement to have their IDs unblocked. Nirmal Gorana, National Coordinator, Gig and Platform Services Workers Union, told Deccan Herald that Blinkit suspended 150 delivery executives in retaliation for their two-day strike on Saturday and Sunday. The gig workers were demanding an end to mandatory work hours between 12 to 4 pm, an increase in minimum wage, and basic amenities like shaded waiting areas and drinking water, Gorana said. has reached out to Blinkit for a response. This copy will be updated when the company responds. Visuals shared on social media by the Gig and Platform Services Workers Union (GIPSWU) show a group of Blinkit gig workers – dressed in their signature yellow uniform – holding up a placard demanding that the company stop harassing its riders. The gig workers are demanding an 'end to mandatory work between 12-4 pm and cotton uniforms for the summer, among other things. On Reddit, a person who claims to have worked for Zomato explained that the company offers incentives based on delivery time and the number of deliveries a rider completes. 'Day shift incentives are more ( 500 for dinner's 350 ) but order delivery required is more ( 27 for dinner's 17 ). Two shifts are mandatory, 3+ hours in 12 to 4pm shift and 8pm to 10pm, to be eligible for day shift incentives,' the person said, adding this might explain why Blinkit workers are demanding an end to mandatory shifts. GIPSWU claims that Blinkit has suspended the riders involved in the protest. They were also asked to sign an agreement 'allowing Blinkit to take any action if they stage any protest in the future,' Deccan Herald reported. Blinkit workers were made to sign documents that did not carry the company's letterhead or contain any contractual details. In addition, they were asked to record a video holding the document and declaring their agreement to its contents. DH has reviewed a copy of the document. 'On April 26, 2025, 150 Blinkit workers in Shri Ram Colony, Varanasi, UP went on strike. Instead of addressing the workers' concerns, Blinkit management accused them and, when operations were disrupted, blocked the IDs of approximately 150 workers, citing the strike as the reason,' GIPSWU wrote on X. 'On April 27, 2025, a company representative threatened the striking workers with police action and demanded they sign affidavits vowing to never strike again. The workers remain resolute in their demands,' it added.
