SUMMARY
More than 50% of dark stores run by Blinkit in Delhi-NCR have remained closed for the past three days
More stores in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida are expected to go offline in the coming days due to the strike
The delivery partners are protesting against the new payout structure introduced by the Zomato-backed startup, however, Blinkit plans to go ahead with it
Over 50% of the 200 dark stores run by Zomato-owned Blinkit in Delhi-NCR have remained shut for the last three days as its delivery partners’ strike continues against the new pay structure introduced by the quick-commerce platform.
More stores in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida are expected to go offline in the coming days due to the strike, ET reported.
The strike has resulted in closure of nearly all 50-60 dark stores run by Blinkit in Gurugram, while more are shutting down in Delhi and Noida, the report said citing a source.
While delivery partners across the NCR region plan to continue their strike over the coming days, Blinkit has decided to go ahead with the new payout structure across more stores.
Blinkit introduced the new pay structure for delivery partners from Monday midnight. Under the new structure, the partners would have to book their time slots and complete the delivery targets assigned to them. They would be paid on a per kilometre basis. However, the delivery partners say this would reduce their earnings.
“We have introduced a new payout structure for our partners that compensates them based on their effort to deliver an order. This is an opt-in exercise, and our teams are on the ground to answer any questions from the partners,” a Blinkit spokesperson told Inc42.
Other quick-commerce player Dunzo and food delivery platform Swiggy have also faced several protests over the last one year, primarily over issues with their payment structure.
While Swiggy’s delivery executives in Kochi went on a strike last November demanding a hike in remuneration, Dunzo riders in Bengaluru also protested against the startup over a slew of issues, including changes in login timings and in incentive structure.
As per a report by Fairwork, Indian startups such as Ola, Uber, and Dunzo were among the worst performers when it came to the working conditions of gig workers.
According to a report by government think tank NITI Aayog, the number of workers engaged in the gig economy in the country would rise to 23.5 Mn by 2029-30 from 7.7 Mn workers in 2020-21. It called for extending social security benefits to gig workers, including platform as well as non-platform workers.
