Days after a section of Swiggy’s delivery partners in Kochi protested against the online food delivery platform, the delivery partners have alleged that some of them are being forced to resign from service.
The delivery partners have accused Swiggy of withholding weekly payments of those who initiated last week’s protest unless they submit their resignation. They were protesting against the new payment scale that Swiggy had allegedly put into place without prior intimation. Under the new regime, delivery executives said that their earnings had dropped drastically.
“After Wednesday, those of us who stood for the protest were suspended from service. We were unable to log in to the Swiggy app. And now, they are denying us our weekly payment, saying that we have to give resignation or else they won’t pay us the money,” Sidheek, Swiggy delivery partner in Kochi told TNM.
Joseph Nishad, another Swiggy delivery executive in Kochi, who had been working with the company for a year was compelled to submit his resignation letter on Saturday as his payment was blocked.
“We decided to start protest in the first place because our request to change the salary pattern was not even accepted by officials. I live along with my family and this is the only employment I had. When Swiggy took this stand on payment, I had no other option but to comply. After submitting resignation on Saturday, they told me that payment will be credited on the coming Friday,” said Nishad.
About 200 delivery partners of Swiggy are at striking in protest against various issues like change in pay scale, cutting down waiting charge, and new criteria for monthly and weekly incentives.
Sources with Swiggy confirmed with TNM that some of the delivery partners were suspended from service.
The protestors told TNM that they are going to intensify the strike. “We have received support from various trade unions. Along with that we have filed complaint with the Labour Commission office. A meeting with Swiggy officials and us has been scheduled for later next week,” a suspended Swiggy delivery partner told TNM.
Earlier, delivery partners they used to get a minimum of Rs 25 for delivering food within 4 km and an additional amount of Rs 5 for each extra kilometer, they say. But Swiggy changed this pay scale to a minimum payment of Rs 25 for delivering food within 5 km. The platform has also changed the criteria for earning an incentive of Rs 1000 from working minimum 12 hours a day to 16 hours.