IFAT joins drive against 'unfair' ID deactivation

Hyderabad: The Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT) has joined a global campaign to stop unfair ID deactivation. The campaign aims to highlight the arbitrariness of deactivation by multinationals like Uber, Ola, Swiggy and Zomato. App-based (cab) drivers are those who work for these companies.

According to them, earlier this month, the International Alliance of App-based Transport Workers (IAATW) launched a global petition against unfair deactivation as part of its year-long mobilisation to end sudden and unsubstantiated termination of driving privileges by the app companies, the single largest cause of insecurity in the app-based transportation industry.

"Every week we get at an average 25-30 cases of drivers' ID blockage by the companies," said Shaik Salauddin, national general secretary, IFAT. "Most drivers have no idea why their ID is blocked and have nowhere to go to get it fixed. It's a tension that we live with every day, every minute," he added.

Salauddin said thousands of drivers in India and tens of thousands across the world get deactivated on a daily basis without any understanding of what caused the deactivation.

"First, we need to know that deactivation is just corporate doublespeak for firing. Before a worker can be fired there are two principles that are important---just cause or why is the person being fired; and due process - or a process of review to get facts correct. With Uber and Co this is entirely missing," said Biju Mathew, president of IAATW and executive council member, New York Taxi Workers' Alliance.

He said "We need a clear and unambiguous list or standards that trigger deactivation; we need a clear and unambiguous standard of complaint, review and evaluation. Just cause and due process are fundamental rights that every worker must have," he added.

Mobilisation to sign the petition is being launched simultaneously in eight cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad.

"Drivers from every part of the world are being mobilised against unfair suspensions and termination," said Salauddin.

He pointed out "Last week I was speaking with a driver whose ID was blocked only after two weeks when he had purchased a new car for over Rs 4 lakh. How will he make his EMI payments now? Will his car get confiscated? How will he feel about his family? And what was his mistake? These are all questions for which we need answers from the companies and the government," Salauddin pointed out.