Telangana App-Based Drivers announce strike over pending demands on July 22

The Telangana App-Based Drivers Forum has announced a statewide strike on July 22, demanding fare revisions, reduced commissions and welfare measures for gig workers. The forum warned of an indefinite strike after August 10 if the government and platform companies fail to resolve their concerns.

Hyderabad: The Telangana App-Based Drivers Forum (TADF) has announced a statewide flash strike on July 22 and warned of an indefinite strike after August 10 if the State government and app-based platform companies fail to address the long-pending demands of gig and platform workers.

The decision was taken at a round-table meeting held at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram (SVK) in Hyderabad, attended by representatives of app-based cab drivers, auto drivers, goods transport drivers and delivery workers associated with platforms such as Ola, Uber, Rapido, Swiggy, Zomato, Zepto and Blinkit.

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The forum expressed concern over declining earnings, rising commissions charged by platform companies, and the delay in implementing welfare measures for gig and platform workers.

It demanded an immediate revision of per-kilometre, per-minute, and per-order fares for app-based cab, auto, goods transport, and delivery workers, besides a fare hike to ensure sustainable earnings. The TADF also sought an end to excessive commissions charged by platform companies and cab vendors, alleging that these were significantly reducing drivers’ incomes.

The forum further urged the government to take action against unauthorised vendors and commercial operations involving vehicles registered in other States. It also demanded the immediate notification and implementation of the Gig and Platform Workers Rules and the constitution of the Gig and Platform Workers Welfare Board.

Claiming that repeated representations to the government and platform companies had yielded no concrete action, the TADF warned that workers would intensify their agitation if the issues remained unresolved.

TADF founder Shaik Salauddin urged the Telangana government to immediately convene a meeting with workers’ representatives and platform companies to resolve the issues through dialogue and protect the livelihoods of lakhs of app-based drivers and delivery workers across the State.