COIMBATORE: Gig workers associated with the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) on Saturday staged an attention-seeking protest near the district collectorate here demanding that the govt implement laws ensuring their safety. They demanded that the Union govt grant them the status of labourers, highlighting that their working hours are not time-bound.Their other demands include PF, ESI and appointment of a dedicated officer in every organisation to overlook their issues. They condemned the employers for deducting tax (tax deducted at source) and demanded govt intervention to cancel TDS.Speaking to reporters, AITUC state secretary M Arumugam said, “The growth of various delivery applications is purely based on these workers. But they are not recognised. They work for more than 12 hours a day but are treated similarly to daily wage workers. There are graduates who are doing this job, and we demand proper recognition as labourers. These companies should provide them with a vehicle service allowance because workers spend so much from their own pockets.”He said, “Rs 18 per kilometre for the distance covered from pickup to delivery points should be given to these workers. The govt should intervene in formulating laws, especially prohibiting the suspension of workers’ accounts without prior inquiry or explanation.”A gig worker. who participated in the protest, shared his recent experience of being ill-treated. “I was denied entry from the main gate of a restaurant and was told to take the rear gate, where it was unclean and the drains were stagnant. I had to wait there to pick up the order. So, we are denied even the basic equality. Also, there is security for our lives despite doing a risky job of delivering things within a limited time, irrespective of the weather or traffic. Some people even humiliate us for being late, and there’s no one for us to report to,” he said.
