JOIN USFood delivery executives at risk of contracting COVID-19
The United Food Delivery Partners’ Union on Sunday said lakhs of workers engaged in-home delivery, which has been included under the essential services, were at the risk of contracting COVID-19 and require safety gear to function.
The union said there were lakhs of delivery workers, serving under various e-commerce enterprises, and it was necessary to recognise their services in this time of crisis and provide them adequate support financially and otherwise.
Union president Vinay Sarathy V said food delivery partners reach out to many people and constantly stand the risk of getting infected.
“The state government should ensure the companies provide masks and hand sanitisers to the delivery workers,” Sarathy said.
Welcoming the relief packages for the working class announced by the Central government, the union urged the government to include food delivery partners in the schemes too.
In a note, the union said before the lockdown, about 1.5 lakh delivery partners distributed food in response to 14 lakh orders per day in Bengaluru alone.
Massive dip in orders
“The number of workers, as well as the number of orders, has been reduced to just 40%-50%. Now, the delivery partners will have to travel tens of kilometres for each order. Even then, the payout they receive for each order is very meagre,” it said.
Sarathy stated that the union has submitted a charter of demands to the labour department, seeking Rs 1,000 minimum incentive per day, arrangements to work on alternative days and ensure payment on a non-working day.
The union also requested that awareness campaigns be conducted to help delivery partners avoid contracting the deadly virus.