Amazon Inc., one of the largest e-commerce platforms in India, recently cut the pay of its delivery people. In response to that, the drivers are now planning a 24-hour protest against the company.
Earlier, out of every delivery, these drivers earned around 48 cents (Rs 35). But since March 15, post the introduction of a new policy, the earning rates for each delivery has been brought down to 14 cents (Rs 10) for small parcels and 21 cents (Rs 15) in case the delivery person is using a motor rickshaw.
The Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) is looking for Amazon to increase this amount to 28 cents (Rs 20) for normal deliveries and $1.10 (Rs 80) if the delivery person is using a big vehicle.
24 Hour Protest Against Amazon is Coming Soon
According to a report from the Rest of World, IFAT has confirmed for a protest against Amazon to come soon.
The dates and the number of people haven’t been confirmed yet, but it will happen in metro cities, including Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, and Delhi.
It will be the first nationwide protest against Amazon to ever take place in India. A thing that Amazon needs to consider is that the prices of petrol and diesel are continuously going up.
They need not cut the salary of their drivers in such a drastic manner at a time such as this. Pune has already seen a brief example of the protests causing delays in delivery at some parts of the city.
In comparison, companies such as Flipkart and BigBasket have already started providing their drivers with minimum wage per month. The pay-per-delivery model from Amazon has gotten old, and if the e-commerce giant doesn’t look into the matter soon, it will become a target for the bad press in the coming days.
It will be the biggest protest against Amazon in India if it goes through and that won't look good on the company's reputation.