The “partners” of Urban Company (UC), the web-based platform that provides services of plumbers, carpenters and beauticians, have decided to suspend their strike for ten days as the company requested time to address their problems including pending remuneration.

The employees, known as “partners”, of the Urban Company have been protesting in various parts of the country for the last six months. “Currently, commissions are not deducted in a transparent or rule-based manner. We demand a tiered commission system (5 per cent for below ₹1,000 service or 10 per cent for between ₹1,000-2,000/ 15 per cent for between ₹2,000-3,000/ 20 per cent for above ₹3,000) and a guarantee that the net UC commission will not exceed 20 per cent for any transaction,” the demand charter of the workers said.

‘Labour laws flouted’

The All India Gig Workers Union Coordinator Rikta Krishnaswamy told BusinessLine that gig workers and platform workers face a lot of problems from their employers. “These platforms do not adhere to any of the labour laws in the country. The Code on Industries and the Code on Social Securities do not properly define the wage and social security system entitled to such workers,” Krishnaswamy said.

Seema Singh, an employee with Urban Company, claimed the company has not given at least 60 per cent of the wages due to the employees. She participated in the protests held in front of the UC’s office in Gurgaon..

The workers have demanded the UC authorities to provide flexibility in working operations. “Prompt payout of credit refunds and conveyance charges upon last minute customer cancellation. We want the decision to buy UC products at our discretion and not an unilateral debit from our accounts. Auto debit from our accounts for product purchases must end,” the demand charter said.

UC clarifies

Chief Labour Commissioner DPS Negi told BusinessLine said “We have not received any written complaints.”

The company said in its statement that UC Partners earn a net average earnings of ₹280–300 per hour, net of commissions, fee and all associated product and travel costs. “All UC service partners have access to life and accidental insurance cover, free training, loans and other benefits such as free vaccinations and PPE Kits During the pandemic, we approved ₹10 crore worth of interest-free loans for our beauty partners in locked-down regions,” a UC statement said.

It added that under no circumstance, the UC will ever shy away from doing the right thing for their stakeholders. “We are not perfect, and acknowledge that we might have made mistakes in our journey so far. In the coming weeks, we will be announcing some important programmes which we believe will further enhance the earnings and well-being of our partner ecosystem,” the statement added.