Urban Company gig workers across the country have participated in the protest week and are having an All India protest outside UC offices in various cities on 12th July 2023. Their primary demands are against the dubious policies of the company leading to the arbitrary blocking of workers from the platform. The immediate demands are –
1. Unblock all UC partners’ IDs at no cost!
2. Remove the permanent blocking system and all related policies
3. No changes in the UC platform without the consent of UC partners!
The protest has been called by the All India Gig Workers’ Union (AIGWU) under the supervision of CITU.
Urban Company is a major name in the IT sector formed in 2014 and has been a major service provider for various home and beauty services. More than 45,000 workers work on the UC platform in 57 Indian Cities, with UC having offices in 17 Indian Cities.
This has been made possible by their workers who have constantly been exploited in various ways by the company. The IT sector sprung up in the era of globalisation with the decline of unions and has constantly found ways to work around the existing rights of the workers. The entire economy is a result of the same where a lack of contracts has ensured constantly changing policies and complete control over the life of the workers. Beauty segment workers of Delhi NCR organised a major strike in December 2021 against various exploitative policies for the same but all they received was empty promises from the company and further exploitation. Right now, workers across the country have been illegally blocked from the app which is a major assault on their livelihoods. The workers are blocked over ratings, delivery rate etc and all the policies are constantly changing without any concern for genuine issues like sickness or even maternity where the workers are unable to deliver. The false promises of providing flexibility have thus been exposed. As a result of the same, the workers have organised themselves at the call of AIGWU and are protesting against the same.
AIITEU expresses solidarity with the protesting UC workers and calls upon more blocked and unblocked workers to join the struggle for the same as the current policies keep all of them extremely insecure and without even basic human rights, let alone worker rights.
Saubhik Bhattacharya,
General Secretary, AIITEU
Contact: +91 98300 90202