Food delivery guys won’t be able to escape the heat this scorching summe

Dinesh Barik, a 27-year-old Bhubaneswar resident, cycles across the city with a backpack on his back to fulfill food orders. The only things that protect him from the intense heat are a moist towel under his helmet and a water bottle. To make sure he has at least 15 deliveries by the evening, he starts his day at 10 am and works until midday, the warmest time of day.

There is no comfort for gig workers in the state, especially food delivery agents like Dinesh, even though the special relief commissioner (SRC) on Monday limited laborers’ involvement in outdoor activities due to the extreme temperature in the region. They are not covered by any benefits for organized labor and are paid on a commission basis. They also don’t have set working hours.

While food delivery platforms pay between Rs 30 and Rs 90 each order (with no set delivery pattern), logistics delivery businesses pay their employees between Rs 8,000 and Rs 20,000 per order (with a set delivery schedule).

“More local delivery applications are available currently for the food delivery industry in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar than there were in the pre-Covid era. Due to the fierce rivalry in the industry as a result, we must take on as many orders as we can in order to turn a profit at the end of the day. Despite the warmth,” Dinesh said.

Another Cuttack-based delivery guy, Bisu Mohanty, said that as there is no set time for placing food orders, they must deliver as soon as one is received. Even if it means bringing in a package of food at 2:00 p.m. I accept as many orders as I can, especially in the afternoon, since there is less money,” he said.

Even worse, delivery staff are often required to use the stairs in flats and are not permitted to take breaks inside restaurants while orders are being processed. “A few individuals assist us in getting drinking water,” he said.

Union Minister Rameswar Teli told the Lok Sabha in 2021 that there were 52,123 gig workers in Odisha, including 27,335 men, 24,781 women, and seven transgender people, despite the fact that these workers are not registered.

Trade union official Mahendra Parida said that while gig workers do not have an employer-employee connection, they should be covered by labor rules and have their work hours limited to 11 am to 3 pm in order to protect them from the heat.