Bengaluru food delivery workers protest against low earnings, impossible targets

Food delivery workers across the city staged protests against the recent decision by food delivery companies to cut payments. They were also protesting against assignment of long-distance delivery tasks and setting targets that are impossible to meet.

Food delivery workers have been protesting the arbitrary rating system introduced to decide the incentives. However, things have come to the head over the last few weeks as rising input costs, especially fuel costs, and decreased earnings have forced these workers to stage protest.

Vinay Sarathi of the United Food Delivery Partners’ Union said hundreds of workers logged off from work to drive home their demands for better payments and working conditions.

“Delivery workers are made to travel hundreds of kilometres to meet the daily targets failing which they will not get any incentive, which is essential in view of rising costs. Earlier, a delivery worker would meet the daily target by riding 100 km. Now, even after 220 km, they are finding it difficult to make the cut,” he said.

Kantaraju, a food delivery worker from Yeshwantpur zone, said about 50 workers in the zone have been protesting since morning but no one from the food delivery companies have reached out to them.

He said meeting targets is like chasing shadows. “We need to earn Rs 600 from food delivery to earn an incentive of Rs 200. However, the delivery assignments are assigned in such a way that we never reach the target. As a result, we are forced to take long-distance delivery orders and ride to these places at high speed to be ready for the next pickup,” he said.

"It has been two years since we stopped receiving monthly incentives and yearly bonus", he added.