LFC Reading Circle
Theme: Labour across Cities and Towns
In May 2026, as an effort to understand the ground realities of the gig economy in India, the LFC community read “Stable Income, Drinking Water, Rest: A Delhi-based Gig Worker on Unionising for Basic Labour Rights” by Shreya Bansal. In the article, Saif, a rider with multiple quick-commerce platforms in Delhi, asserts that urban India can no longer do without doorstep delivery. Why, then, does gig work remain undignified? Saif works 10 hours a day, six days a week, across multiple apps, and still has to choose between platforms based on which one pays marginally more on a particular day. The convenience that consumers enjoy while using quick commerce applications comes from an inherently unequal playing field. How can gig workers be guaranteed more stability in this system?
Read a discussion between members of our LFC Reads WhatsApp group, Shreya Bansal, Assistant Projects Editor at The Locavore, and author of the piece (✏️), and other team members (🌱), below.
Saif mentions that workers had to organise to secure access to drinking water. “A rider will earn ₹20 from one order. How will he spend ₹20 on a water bottle?” What basic facilities should be considered non-negotiable for gig workers?
VI: It’s on the government to intervene to create a safe and stable work environment for the youth. There needs to be legislation brought in by the government and enforced by companies. Access to clean and safe washrooms and drinking water. The podcast mentioned these are things that can easily be implemented in dark stores.
Sumi: Basic minimum wages, clean toilets, safe drinking water, to begin with. And clarity on payment upfront and no penalty for turning down deliveries, especially in bad weather.
🌱 Mukta: My understanding is that they don’t want to legislate because they don’t want gig workers to come under the ambit of permanent workers. And so “flexibility” becomes this catch-all to evade any accountability.
Sabitha: They should stop calling them “partners.” They are doing this because they don’t want to give Provident Fund or accident insurance.
🌱 Mukta: Yes, absolutely this naming is such a problem. It obfuscates the relationship.
Yash: I think bring labour laws in the ambit of this gig work economy. Big e-commerce corporations are resisting it as it would definitely make them work harder for their businesses and make them take care of them as full-time workers—rather than this kind of environment where they get to exploit and use workers in the name of “partners” and “gig work.”
🌱 Oishika: This is so true! At the same time, Shreya’s piece also made me wonder what are some other non-negotiables that aren’t being discussed much at all, such as minimum wages for gig workers, transparency about pay, even paid sick leaves? All workers deserve these.
🌱 Mukta: When they could be called what they are, and come under the ambit of regulation. A dark store is just a warehouse, right?
Green: I guess these all issues are also a reason why we don’t see many female delivery partners. No safe working conditions and clean toilets aren’t available easily.
Saif argues that urban India has become deeply dependent on doorstep delivery services. Beyond tips or ratings, what does treating delivery workers with dignity look like in everyday interactions?
Yash: A better coverage and narrative-building of reality of this way of consumption. What is it that gets lost in the name of e-commerce? Local jobs, commerce, small markets, hyperlocal relationships of markets get destroyed by larger e-commerce and fast-paced consumption.
Access to elevators, public services in gated communities, going beyond this system of ratings and tips, and actually have mechanisms to build relationships with these people. An exchange more than of service and money.
🌱 Oishika: Yes absolutely. The union report reveals just how neglected the conditions in dark stores are, and companies need to be held accountable. One way in which Saif and his fellow workers did this was by carrying out strikes, which the article talks about.
Yamini: I actually do feel that tips can really be useful—I’ve seen that in my interactions with the workers. I order quite frequently, so I’ve started giving a tip of ₹45-50 usually. But other than that, offering them a glass of water, especially in the summer, feels like basic courtesy. And many of them accept it, which means there is a need for it.
🌱 Mukta: We can also shift the way societies make regulations for gig workers. When there are many flights of stairs or there is a long walk, for instance.
✏️ Shreya: When gig workers do face harassment and exploitation at the hands of the customers, they also don’t have a redressal mechanism or a “rating” system to complain about a customer. There is no time or source to stop and hold anyone accountable. It is just delivery after delivery.
Mukta: Yes, I remember Saif mentioning this and how hard it is to get a person to respond to their side of the story and not just get an automated response.
Priyanka: I think treating them with a little more respect and kindness. Many don’t even look them in the eye while receiving their order. A lot of societies in my area have separate lifts for delivery workers.
🌱 Yamini: I think also sometimes being understanding of why they’re late. Like, when it rains, my partner has often called them and told them not to hurry. It’s really ridiculous how we’ve come to expect them to show up in under 20 minutes or whatever, and then act entitled when they do get delayed.
Green: Offering some form of refreshment definitely (water, buttermilk, chocolates) has worked for me—no matter which season. I also believe we should be conscious of the weather conditions while ordering.
Yash: If this is the primary idea of consuming/buying is that it has to be quick, are all the acts we’re talking of possible? To make things “quick:, almost everything we’re discussing takes a pause, and exploitation seeps in. From the very place of origin—dark stores, to collection, transit, delivery—every process overlooks human rights and basic dignity.
🌱 Mukta: I think to add to this, the other word that comes to mind is “ease”—everyone is complicit in this. If we have the ease of doing business, and regulatory authorities prioritise this ease, it’s all downhill from there. To make that ease happen, we end up giving all sorts of clearances, disregarding everyone in the chain except for the business itself. This includes people, the environment, and climate concerns.
The LFC Reading Circle is a 45-minute WhatsApp conversation anchored in carefully selected essays associated with the quarterly theme. LFC engagements go beyond monthly gatherings—they also aim to build food literacy. Join the LFC Reads WhatsApp group, here.
Find the piece we discussed, here. To learn more about RAWU’s work, check out their Substack and follow their Instagram.