10-minute delivery at what cost? South Central on gig worker rights | Episode 56

In this episode of South Central, hosts discuss the strike by gig workers what their demands are and whether the existing framework of payouts and stipulated minimum delivery time violates their rights. They also discuss the upcoming elections in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and what alliances will fly and which of them will likely fail.

Published on:

02 Jan 2026, 2:54 pm

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss the strike by gig workers on December 25th and 31st, what their demands are and whether the existing framework of payouts and stipulated minimum delivery time violates their rights.

The hosts are joined by Shaikh Salahuddin, founder and president of Telangana Gig And Platform Workers Union, and Maitreyi Krishnan, a lawyer and president of the All India Lawyers Association for Justice.

Shaikh Salahuddin first explains why they chose these dates for the strike. “We chose those dates as order pressure would be very high. Our target is to pressurise the aggregator companies to fulfil our demands. We waited five days after the December 25th strike for stakeholders to discuss our problems, but nobody came forward. On the 31st, we had to go on strike again to disrupt the flow of deliveries because the year-end would see a huge surge in demand,” he says.

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Shaikh adds that platforms came up with a one-day incentive to cover up for this, which he says is a tactic to manipulate personnel into working. He added that platforms used money and muscle power to thwart the strike.

“We have five demands– the old payout system can be implemented, but ten-minute delivery leads to several road accidents and deaths, so this must be stopped, and delivery personnel's IDs are blocked without any hearing and upon simple complaint from the customer. The algorithm must also give some control to the personnel, and we want some dignity in the process. Personnel do not have places to wait at restaurants or stores, and proper washroom facilities are also absent. We want these basics to be fulfilled, not something unrealistic or over the top,” Salahuddin further says.

Maitreyi says that this happens because the employer-employee relationship between the gig workers and their employers is not acknowledged. “When you acknowledge this, you can see that what they demand is the most basic labour rights. There is most definitely an employer-employee relationship, and the state must intervene to enforce it. This veil of denial must not be allowed to thrive because they violate the rights of gig workers,” she says.

Dhanya asks how governments can step in when governments themselves do not acknowledge this relationship, like in the case of the ASHA workers.

“The question is what governments must do, not what they don’t do. It is the Constitutional responsibility of a government to step in and protect the rights of workers. Whether they would do it is a different question. We must push to ensure governments fulfil this, and strikes are important steps in that direction,” Maitreyi says.

Pooja asks what we are looking at when we say enforcement must happen. Maitreyi says that the fact of the matter is that the labour laws are applicable, no matter what terminology is used to categorise workers.

“The blocking of IDs, for example, is ex parte and done at the complaint of customers. There is no opportunity for the workers to be heard. So this is not fair. Other factors like medical insurance, family benefits, and other social security guarantees must be stipulated and laid down,” Maitreyi further says.

Pooja points out how this whole system is tilted towards the benefit of customers and the companies, with no regard for the rights or demands of the workers. Maitreyi adds that the responsibility is not just on state governments but also on the Union.

In the second part of the discussion, the hosts delve into the upcoming elections in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and what alliances will fly and which of them will likely fail. The hosts are joined by senior journalist Dr RK Radhakrishnan.

Dhanya says that in Tamil Nadu, surveys say that actor Vijay, of the TVK, will garner major vote share in the state. RK Radhakrishnan says that we cannot really rely on these numbers as surveys have gone wrong earlier. “Vijay is the flavour of the season, and people have been picking Vijay, and we do not know if surveys are also counting in people below 18 years, in which case it is more likely that they would choose Vijay,” he says.

He further answers Dhanya’s questions on TVK’s possible alliances. “Vijay draws massive crowds, and it looks like the best idea to ally with him at this point. With respect to Thiruparankundram, people are okay as long as their homes are not affected by the lamp lighting issue. Like the Sabarimala issue did not have traction outside the immediate locality, this will have no major impact. AMMK is not going anywhere near EPS because the AIADMK-BJP alliance is being pulled down by multiple factors,” he says.

He then explains in detail the history of the alliance of Congress and DMK in the state. Pooja points out that DMK is crucial for any alliance and that after push and pull, the Congress will likely fall in line.

Maitreyi says that Karnataka is a lesson in recognising the dangerous role the BJP can play in shaking the political alliances in the state. Dr Radhakrishnan also points out that in Kerala, there has been a huge, concerning shift towards the right-wing in Kerala.

“In TN, both Dravidian parties have tried to safeguard their rights, like opposing three language policy, and so on. But this is not the same in Kerala. BJP still has not figured out its act in Tamil Nadu; they will focus on the state, and at least three or four ministers will be arrested on account of corruption and the like. In Kerala, an MLA seat may not manifest barring in Trivandrum, probably. Palakkad also has seen massive support for the BJP, but they may not convert to an MLA seat,” he adds.

Pooja points out that pan-India, Congress’s presence in states has been seen as an easy route for the BJP to take over, as opposed to states with a strong presence of regional parties.

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Audio Timecodes

00:00:00- Introduction

00:03:10 - Headlines

00:12:03 - Gig Workers Strike

00:52:16 - TN & Kerala Elections

01:27:02- Recommendations

References

A call from Kerala that spurred Karnataka CMO into action | Powertrip #132