Give us pollution surcharge, masks: Gig workers to e-commerce companies

New Delhi: A week after a Parliamentary panel recommended that government should direct e-commerce and logistics companies to provide masks like N95 to their delivery riders free of cost as the capital is reeling under pollution, a platform for gig workers has demanded that they be given 'pollution surcharge' during high-AQI days and facilities like health check-ups.

The Gig Workers Association has said large parts of Delhi-NCR remain under GRAP-IV restrictions for the past around a week and platform workers, including delivery workers, ride-hailing drivers, and last-mile logistics workers, are being forced to work long hours outdoors without any pollution allowance, health coverage, protective gear or reduced work expectations.

One of their demands is to give them a 'pollution surcharge', which is an additional per-trip or per-order compensation for platform workers during high-AQI days. There should be provision of masks like N95, access to health check-ups and coverage for pollution-related illnesses under platform-provided insurance, they said.

“Platform companies routinely impose surge pricing on consumers during periods of high demand or when conditions are inconvenient, such as rain, festivals, or peak hours. There is no justification for not applying the same logic to compensate workers during periods of unhealthy air quality," they said in a statement.

"Clean air is a constitutional guarantee and a core public-health concern. Until it is ensured, workers who keep cities running under hazardous conditions must be protected and fairly compensated. Economic efficiency cannot come at the cost of workers’ health and lives," it said.

The Association has asked the government to recognise air pollution as an occupational health risk for platform workers and issue binding advisories or guidelines mandating pollution-linked compensation during periods of unhealthy air quality.

The report – Air Pollution in Delhi NCR and steps taken by various agencies for its mitigation – by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forest and Climate Change has said that delivery riders, traffic police personnel and bike taxi riders are more vulnerable to the hazards of air pollution.

It suggested that the government could direct e-commerce and logistics companies to provide high-quality protective masks such as N95 to their delivery riders free of cost, and instituting mandatory, company-funded annual health check-ups, with specific provisions for additional check-ups following severe pollution episodes.

It also recommended the creation of a dedicated health risk profiling and monitoring system for these workers, the formulation of enforceable Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for high pollution days, which could include limiting continuous outdoor exposure hours and ensuring access to indoor rest areas.

Establishment of specialized, streamlined healthcare access channels, such as dedicated OPD counters for respiratory ailments at major public hospitals should be considered to ensure timely and hassle-free medical attention for these essential frontline workers was also recommended by the panel.