Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha on Friday asked Parliament to put an end to the 10-minute delivery model used by quick-commerce companies. The Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab said this super-fast delivery trend has become a “cruel act” against delivery riders, who he believes are being pushed into dangerous working conditions.
Speaking during Zero Hour, Chadha said gig workers are being forced to take big risks to meet unrealistic deadlines. He praised the vast gig workforce that keeps the country running, from delivery riders at Zomato and Swiggy to drivers working with Ola and Uber and technicians linked to Urban Company. He described them as “the invisible wheels of the Indian economy.”
Chadha said instant commerce may have made life easier, but people must not forget the human beings who make it possible. “Every day, we press a button on our mobile phone app and receive a notification. But behind these notifications, there is often a human being we do not even know about,” he told the House.
He called out the huge profits and valuations of major companies and compared them with the lives of gig workers, saying their situation has become “worse than a labourer.” He urged lawmakers to think about the workers “who work in all weather conditions, risking their lives to ensure your order reaches your doorstep.”
Chadha then highlighted what he described as the main areas of suffering faced by these workers.
He said the fear of being late is the biggest problem. According to him, a rider waiting at a traffic signal is constantly worried and thinking, “If he is late, his rating will drop, his incentives will be cut, the app will log him out, and his ID will be blocked.” Chadha said this pressure leads to reckless driving. “That is why, to make a ten-minute delivery, he overspeeds, jumps red lights, and risks his life.”
He also spoke of how workers deal with impatient and angry customers. He said that if an order is delayed by even five or seven minutes, customers often call and shout at the rider. When the rider finally reaches their home, the customer frequently threatens to complain. “Then, by giving him a one-star rating, he ruins his entire month’s performance and budget,” Chadha said.
He also described the long working hours, low salaries and high illness rates faced by delivery riders. According to him, they work twelve to fourteen hours a day without proper safety equipment, bonuses or hazard allowances. “Whether it is sunshine, heat, cold, winter… these people continue to work without protective gear. They receive neither permanent employment nor humane working conditions, nor health or accident insurance,” he said.
Chadha added that despite all this, the workers continue to behave professionally. “They hide their pain, their job insecurity and their helplessness. When they deliver your order, they smile and say, ‘Thank you, Sir, please give me a five-star rating.’”
He ended by reminding Parliament that delivery workers are not machines. “These people are also someone’s father, husband, brother, or son. The House should think about them, and this cruelty of ten-minute delivery should end,” he said.
