Urban Company takes its own service professionals to court

Gurugram: Even as online services aggregator Urban Company faces fresh protests from women professionals on their platform, the tech company has, in an unprecedented move, taken protesting service providers to court — filing a civil suit against them, calling their protests "illegal".

The company, through its platform, provides an interface between service providers and customers and partners with independent service providers such as plumbers, beauticians, electricians to connect them to prospective customers — much like a cab aggregator connects drivers to customers.

However, since October this year, the service providers on this platform and other aggregator platforms - under the joint banner of a gig workers' association - have been protesting against inhumane working conditions and discriminatory policies that affect their right to earn a livable wage with dignitiy.

In Urban Company's case, the protests erupted after a new policy was introduced to have service providers sign a contract with the tech company for continued association but the service providers would have to pay Rs 3,000 per month as a subscription fee. Protesting workers say the policy unfairly incentivises those who subscribe and disincentivises those who do not — thereby pushing them to pay. In addition, the workers have said that there has also been a policy which mandates that best service providers offer a 10 per cent discount to the end customer from their fee.

And even as fresh protests by beauticians and other women professionals on the platform erupted outside their Gurugram office in Udyog Vihar, the company has sued the protesting service providers in civil court, which has now issued a notice to one of the protesters to appear in court today (December 22).

While negotiation with service providers had begun after the first spate of protests in October, they broke down on Monday, following which women professionals, with help from All India Gig Workers' Unions, are camping outside Urban Company's office despite relatively cold conditions.

But in their suit filed in a Gurugram court, the company has claimed that these protests are illegal and sought an injunction against the protesting service providers, their family members and other associates to "immediately vacate" their office premises.

The company claimed that service providers had formed a WhatsApp chat group to discuss their strike and protests, further claiming that the contents of these chats purportedly showed that they were allegedly trying to instigate violence.

Most Significantly, the company claimed that the workers organising a protest and strike on a chat group was allegedly done "in furtherance of a common conspiracy to cause damage to the company's commercial activities as well as reputation".

And arguing against the service providers' right to organise, the company went on to allege that protesting service providers were threatening their office workers and even other service providers to join their movement.

The fresh spate of protests broke out on Monday night after a meeting between the service providers and the company management failed to yield meaningful results. The company has in its suit sought that the police be called in to remove the protesters from their offices in Gurugram.