The Telangana Gig and Platform Workers’ Union (TGPWU) on Monday intensified its demands for accountability from food delivery platform Zomato after one of its riders fell into an open drain while on duty during heavy rains in the city.
The union called the incident “a direct consequence of platforms prioritising profits over worker safety” and accused companies of valuing lives at the cost of a Rs 10 or Rs 15 rain bonus.
The rider, Syed Farhan, was on an active Zomato order on Saturday when waterlogging in Hyderabad made him fall into an open drain. He lost his phone and damaged his motorcycle.
“This is not just an accident – it is a direct consequence of platforms prioritising profits over worker safety. God blessed Farhan with his life yesterday, but tomorrow may be too late for another worker,” said Shaik Salauddin, TGPWU chief.
The union has urged Zomato to take responsibility for the incident. Salauddin demanded that Farhan’s phone be replaced, his motorcycle repaired, and his lost income compensated.
TGPWU has also called for delivery platforms to stop sending riders out in unsafe weather, provide fair rain and surge bonuses, and share real-time weather data so riders can make informed decisions.
The union also appealed to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to act against companies that continue to risk delivery workers’ lives. While the GHMC has issued advisories to food aggregators about the dangers of operating during severe weather, Salauddin said these warnings are “routinely ignored.”
“Rs 10 rain bonus = worker’s life, @deepigoyal,” TGPWU wrote on X. The post tagged Zomato’s founder Deepinder Goyal and demanded the company to take full responsibility for Farhan’s accident.
Users on X supported the union. “In the new age India, it seems profits are more important than human life. Corporates like Zomato are more interested in providing shareholder returns than in the welfare of their employees,” one user commented.
The Telegraph Online earlier reported that zomato workers have to shoulder medical expenses themselves, often through high-interest loans that trap them in cycles of debt.
Zomato has not released a statement on the incident.
The Hyderabad incident comes just a month after food delivery workers in Thiruvananthapuram announced a 48-hour token strike on July 5 and 6 over Zomato’s newly launched ‘Select to Go’ option.
Under the system, workers are assured of an order within 90 seconds if they choose the option, but their payment is reduced by up to 30 per cent.
According to the delivery agents, the company now keeps them waiting for long periods without giving any orders unless they choose ‘Select to Go’. Workers alleged the new system has led to a “considerable fall” in their earnings.
A rollback of the system was among several demands raised during the July protest.
The union’s message on Monday was, a worker’s life cannot be reduced to a rain bonus.
“If my bike breaks down or I get injured, I have to pay for repairs or medicine myself,” a Zomato rider revealed to The Telegraph Online earlier this year, adding that even minor grievances are ignored. “If we complain to Zomato about anything, the response is always, ‘Take care’.”