"Poor wages, punishing hours, and lack of labour rights make food delivery a thankless gig", 21 August 2021

[T]he switch from regular employment to the rough and tumble of the precarious world of the gig economy has proven to be not just a culture shock but a financial shock too.

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Subsistence salaries, a struggle for survival, and sub-par working conditions are part of the story of all delivery executives, making it clear how much they get short-changed.

The same month, the Union Ministry of Law and Justice released a ‘Code on Social Security-2020’, aimed at creating a safety net for workers. The Centre was to frame suitable social security schemes relating to insurance, working conditions, disability and other benefits. However, the Code only makes workers eligible for such benefits, it does not guarantee them. And it does not mandate companies to contribute towards such benefits.

...A National Social Security Board was also to be set up for the welfare of gig workers and platform workers, but a year down the line, nothing has happened.

When asked as basic a question as the number of delivery executives affected by COVID-19, a Zomato spokesperson said: “Our delivery fleet works in circulation, therefore we will not have exact figures.” Swiggy did not divulge the information and spoke instead of consumer safety. The responses underline the casual nature of the relationship between company and employees.