Delhi gig workers' plight | Dirty water, no toilets, no basic facilities at 'dark stores': Survey

In over a quarter of quick commerce warehouses or ‘dark stores’ surveyed across Delhi-NCR, delivery workers are being forced to urinate in the open due to the absence of usable toilets, a new audit by the Rajdhani App Workers’ Union (RAWU) has found. Even where toilets exist, many are unhygienic, lack running water, or are off-limits to gig workers, raising serious questions about worker dignity and safety in India’s booming 10-minute delivery economy.

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The audit titled ‘The Dark Side of Dark Stores’, which covered 51 stores operated by Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart, BigBasket, and Flipkart Minutes, uncovered widespread violations of basic labour rights and workplace safety norms. The survey was conducted by RAWU, affiliated to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), between June 2 and 15 this year. It assessed six parameters, including access to toilets, safe drinking water, shaded rest areas, parking, first-aid kits, and managerial behaviour. In store after store, workers described being denied the most basic amenities, even as they rushed to meet punishing delivery timelines amid Delhi’s extreme heat, rains, and traffic.

No toilets at 5 Instamart stores

Franchise-operated outlets emerged as the worst performers. At Blinkit’s Sangam Vihar franchise store, the survey found toilets filled with worms and no running water. At Zepto’s Govindpuri outlet, delivery riders were barred from using indoor washrooms and directed instead to a disintegrating portable toilet.

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“Among platforms, five out of nine Instamart stores surveyed did not have toilets for delivery workers, making it the worst performer… Among platforms, five out of nine Instamart stores surveyed did not have toilets for delivery workers, making it the worst performer,” the report said.

Lack of safe drinking water

RAWU also found that safe drinking water was unavailable in 14 per cent of stores. Dirty or warm water was a common complaint, and none of the stores continued to provide rehydration salts through the summer months.

“Through Resolution 64/292, the United Nations recognises access to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible drinking water and sanitation as a fundamental human right. The resolution affirmed that these basic services are essential for leading a life with dignity and for the full enjoyment of all other human rights. Further, the Delhi Shops and Establishments Act, 1954 provides that suitable arrangements shall be made for supply of drinking water to all employees,” it said.

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“An Instamart store in Kalkaji was one of the worst offenders in this category: there was no drinking water available for delivery workers, pickers, or guards. All staff, including indoor workers, relied on a nearby temple with a water cooler to fill their bottles,” it added.

Workers forced to wait outside

In over 70 per cent of the stores, no proper shaded rest areas were provided. “In half of the stores, workers were forced to wait between orders outside in the heat or rain, often sitting on their bikes. Among the worst performers was Instamart, where over 55 per cent of stores lacked basic rest facilities, followed by Blinkit (26 per cent), Zepto (21 per cent), and Big Basket (16 per cent),” the report said.

Some stores, like Flipkart Minutes in Sant Nagar and Zepto in Bawana, had rented small adjacent rooms with benches and coolers. But these were outliers, often created only after sustained pressure from workers or supportive local management.

Safety infrastructure fared no better. Although 70 per cent of the surveyed stores had first-aid kits, many were locked or inaccessible, according to the workers. In the event of injuries, common due to road accidents and heat exposure, workers reported having to seek treatment themselves, paying out of pocket, and losing work hours.

“During medical emergencies, workers most often bear the costs of treatment and hospital visits themselves or rely on help from fellow riders. Companies offer insurance, but most riders are unable to qualify or have the upfront capital to pay for private treatment. Workers reported little support from management while following up, and only a few educated workers were actually able to put together documents to file claims,” the report said.

Night-shift riders face violence

RAWU also found that around 40 per cent of the stores had no designated parking facilities.

“Workers’ experiences with law enforcement appear to be similar across stores even when parking is designated. They are forced to remain constantly alert, and when bikes are impounded, they often pay Rs 1,000 to 2,000 in bribes or challans to retrieve them,” the report said.

The Union found that at the Indirapuram Blinkit store, “a delivery worker tragically lost his life after being hit by a passing car late at night while parked on the roadside”.

The situation is worse for night-shift riders.

“At the Kotla Mubarakpur Blinkit store, riders regularly face violence from local goons, with no help from store management. In another shocking case at Uttam Nagar Blinkit, a worker was robbed at knifepoint and later detained overnight by the police for ‘working at night’ without any support from the company,” RAWU said.

Abusive managers

Around 43 per cent of workers reported a lack of support from managerial staff, and in 16 per cent stores, managers were described as abusive or violent.

Interestingly, gig workers said they were better off, in an overall sense, before the 10-minute delivery model kicked in.

“Workers who had previously been employed with Grofers (before it was acquired by Zomato and branded as Blinkit) mentioned that facilities for workers were significantly better in the past. They noted that the introduction of the 10-minute delivery model by Blinkit led to a rapid decline in these conditions,” the report noted.

“Similarly, BigBasket Noida workers recalled that prior to the launch of BB Now, stores provided better amenities, including subsidised meals at Rs 10 for all workers,” it added.

In its report, RAWU said the findings indicate “systemic neglect of workers’ needs”. “It is shocking that companies expanding at hundreds of stores a year and making crores in profits are unable to provide their workforce with facilities such as clean toilets and drinking water. This audit, which does not even touch on critical issues of working conditions, hours of work, and wages, is a step towards showcasing how little workers are valued in this so-called technology-driven gig economy.”

RAWU’s demands to Delhi government

RAWU has demanded the “registration of the Dark Stores under the Delhi Shops and Establishments Act, 1954, and action against all defaulters”. It has also demanded that the Delhi Government’s Labour Department “start a special drive to ensure compliance of the Dark Stores with the Delhi Shops and Establishments Act, 1954”.

In addition to this, RAWU has asked that basic amenities be standardised across all locations regardless of ownership model, police harassment be addressed through systematic engagement with local authorities, uniform safety protocols be implemented, including accessible first aid and emergency procedures, and worker rest areas be established at all locations with proper shade and cooling.

“There is an urgent need for regulation of the business model of Quick Commerce Platform Companies. This audit report is only the beginning of our efforts to ensure that such a regulation is in place,” RAWU President Sunand told The Federal.