The strike by Ola and Uber drivers in Maharashtra may resume in Maharashtra from Wednesday, sources told NDTV Profit. The strike was paused on Saturday amid the impending talks with the government.
Till Wednesday noon, the strike will remain on hold, the sources said.
The demands raised by the protesting gig workers include Rs 32/km rate for cab drivers on aggregator services, complete ban on bike cabs, implementation of the Gig Workers Act, the sources stated.
"An escalated protest is also planned for Wednesday," the persons added, saying that this would happen if the demands are not addressed.
So far, there have been multiple reports of passengers being asked to de-board across Mumbai due to the strike. In some instances, verified by NDTV Profit, cab drivers were threatened and asked to deboard passengers.
Mohit (name changed), a cab driver from Navi Mumbai told NDTV Profit, "We have just one demand from Ola and Uber— to give us a fixed rate per kilometre. Five years, back when we started working for the companies, we had a fixed rate that was decided by the government."
He further explained the demand:
Currently, the government has fixed rate of Rs 32 per km for AC taxis in Mumbai. But we are not getting such rates, instead some days, we get Rs 5 per km, Rs 10 per km and some different rates from the companies for every trip.Mohit, Mumbai Cab Driver
The cab unions have met Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik at Vidhan Sabha on July 15, who promised to come up with a solution in 15 days. "Such promises were made to us before as well, hence we want a permanent solution this time," said Mohit
Sarnaik posted images of his meeting with cab drivers on Tuesday. "In the backdrop of allegations made by rickshaw, taxi, and cab driver-owner organisations due to Ola-Uber and other app-based services, I personally listened to the concerns of the protesters today. Their demands are reasonable, and I have assured them that the government will make appropriate changes in the new policy," he wrote.
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