



India’s gig debate misses a key point: Better wages for delivery agents will aid the economy without hurting platforms
There is no contradiction between paying gig workers a living wage and the claim that gig work provides job opportunities to many who would otherwise struggle to earn anything. Delivery workers for food delivery and quick-commerce platforms like Zomato, Swiggy, Zepto and Blinkit went on strike recently, demanding better wages and work conditions.This has triggered a bizarre debate online, as if asking for better wages amounts to socialism and charges of gig worker exploitation go against entrepreneurship. The obvious gainers from low-paid gig work are consumers who get doorstep deliveries both extra-cheap and ultra-fast.
Entrepreneurs running platforms that give millions of people work who may be left jobless without this option deserve appreciation; the profits they earn are indeed a reward for risk-taking. However, this does not mean that concerns raised about the work conditions of gig workers, their earnings and lack of social security or occupational safety lack merit.What platforms pay their delivery agents is a pass-through. In other words, their earnings do not come from squeezing riders.
If all companies had to pay, say, 5% more than what they do now, consumers would simply have to shell out that much more. This would not dent platform margins on those deliveries. Such a payout hike would need all platforms to pay 5% extra, without any player trying to grab orders by offering order placers a cheaper deal.
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