Urban Company’s beauty segment workers stage demonstration in Bengaluru over ID blocking

A group of beauticians staged a demonstration at the Bengaluru office of Urban Company in HSR Layout on June 10.

Highlighting adverse working conditions, a group of beauty segment workers of Urban Company staged a demonstration at the Bengaluru office of the firm in HSR Layout on June 10.

Beauticians, primarily from north-eastern states, said they are facing harassment after company imposed new terms and conditions.

"When I joined Urban Company in 2019, they said it would be flexible working hours and only up to 10 hours a day. Now, they are asking us to work around 13 hours on weekends with no additional incentives. If we skip a single duty due to a personal emergency, they will block us. If our rating falls below 4.8, our IDs will be blocked," said a beautician from a northeastern state working in Bengaluru.

Also, read: Urban Company beauticians protest at Gurgaon office over ID blocking, booking woes

She said company takes around 30 percent commission from each booking and also insists on selling their own products. "When they assign duties in distant places, it is very difficult for women employees to commute in Bengaluru traffic, but they will immediately block our ID if we cancel even one," she said.

The employee also alleged that the company is prioritising new beauticians on the platform, making it difficult for existing partners to get more bookings.

A Gig and Platform Services Workers Union (GIPSWU) leader said that the 'auto assigning' job feature is subjecting partners to a situation akin to slavery. "Women are the most affected since they joined the platform after the promises of duties within a 5-kilometer radius, but now they are being sent far away. They need to spend more on transportation charges for commuting to work," she said.  GIPSWU is affiliated to Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT).

Moneycontrol reached out to Urban Company for a comment but has not received a response.

Similar protests against the firm were also staged in cities like Hyderabad and Delhi. A beautician from Assam said 'auto-assigning job feature' are depriving them of their basic human rights. "Sometimes, we face illness or family emergencies, but these tech features fail to comprehend our human situations. If we fail to show up for jobs, we are terminated or our work IDs get blocked."

Shaik Salauddin, national general secretary of IFAT, said, "Urban Company, despite being averse to engaging with unions, must acknowledge that thousands of young workers form the backbone of this firm. These workers, referred to as 'partners' by the company, have contributed significantly to its wealth creation. The company cannot disregard the very foundation of the law."

Also, read: There is no support, they don’t care about us’: Urban Company’s beauty segment workers protest against ID blocking