Women Gig Workers Protest At Urban Company's Bengaluru Office

SUMMARY

The “hundreds” of workers who joined the protest were part of the Gig and Platform Services Workers Union, affiliated to the Indian Federation Of App Based Transport Workers

The GIPSWU said that the protest was against the new work conditions, which are “horrific” and have forced "thousands of partners to work under slavery like situations”

The union has also written to Urban Company cofounder and CEO Abhiraj Singh Bhal, saying that the terms of reference are in direct conflict with the protections guaranteed by various legislations

Adding to the list of protests that have plagued Urban Company, women gig workers working with the platform went on a strike at the consumer services startup’s Bengaluru office to protest against its new terms of reference.

The “hundreds” of workers who joined the protest were part of the Gig and Platform Services Workers Union (GIPSWU), which is affiliated to the Indian Federation Of App Based Transport Workers (IFAT), the GIPSWU said in a statement.

The statement said that the protest was against the new work conditions, which are “horrific” and have forced “thousands of partners to work under slavery like situations”.

Urban Company was not immediately available to comment on the development. The story will be updated on receiving a response.

Inc42 has learnt that at the heart of the matter is the startup’s ‘Mission Shakti’, which was launched last year to improve the services provided by it.

Protesting gig workers said that the mission mandates a minimum rating of 4.8 along with automating task assignments. They claimed that the startup allows only two cancellations per worker per month and they are at the risk of losing their employment if there are more cancellations.

The workers also claimed that the discussions with the startup resulted in no action.

Meanwhile, the union has also written to Urban Company cofounder and CEO Abhiraj Singh Bhal, saying that the terms of reference imposed are in direct conflict with the principles and protections guaranteed by various legislations.

“It appears that Urban Company is circumventing basic legal structures under the guise of a tech platform, which poses a serious threat to their (workers’) livelihood,” the letter said.

While today’s strike was only restricted to Urban Company’s Bengaluru office, the union said it is looking to undertake a nation-wide strike soon.

It is pertinent to note that Urban Company also faced such protests from gig workers last year. In July 2023, gig workers unions such as the Centre Of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and All Indian Gig Workers Union (AIGWU) held protests at the startup’s Gurugram office.

Prior to that, the startup also saw its partners going on a protest in June 2023.

Addressing the concerns of the partners, Urban Company said in October last year that both customers and partners are equal stakeholders at the startup and it will not shy away from doing the right thing for its stakeholders.

“We prioritise customer experience above all else and work backward from the promises we make to our customers. Our approach towards customer experience is one of continuous improvement across five key pillars — Quality, Convenience, Value, Selection and Trust,” it said in a blogpost.

Founded in 2014 by Bhal, Raghav Chandra, and Varun Khaitan, Urban Company offers a range of services such as salon and massage, home cleaning, appliance repair services, and painting.

Last month, Bhal took to LinkedIn to claim that the startup turned profitable before tax in April 2024. In his post, he also said that the platform will focus on growing profitably and sustainably while “prioritising” the interests of customers, service partners, employees, and shareholders.