A day after drivers called off their strike against cab aggregator services Ola and Uber, the latter said it hadn’t made any commitment towards fulfilling the demands made by the drivers.
Thursday meeting
The drivers from Sarvodaya Driver Association, the union which led the strike for 13 days, had met Delhi Transport Minister Satyendra Jain and representatives from Uber and Ola on Thursday. The drivers had claimed they had been assured that their demands would be met.
Uber statment
However, an Uber spokesperson said on Friday: “We participated at a meeting convened by the Delhi government and reiterated that individual drivers can come to us at any time to raise concerns. We condemn the violent protests carried out by striking unions, which not only harassed driver partners but also kept them away from earning an honest living,” an Uber spokesperson said.
Ola, however, refused to comment on the issue.
However, an Ola official told The Hindu :“We will take a decision after the Delhi High Court hearing on February 28.”
Drivers upset
This enraged the drivers, who threatened that the strike will resume with greater strength if their demands are taken for granted.
“During the meeting with the Delhi government, representatives from Uber and Ola behaved like obedient children — nodding on every demand we put before them. As soon as they stepped out, they started showing their true colours,” said association vice-president Ravi Rathore.
He said they will wait for the hearing before deciding on the future course of action.
“We are hoping that the court and the government will understand the plight of drivers. These corporate giants should not be allowed to ruin our livelihoods,” added Mr. Rathore.
Commuters, meanwhile, are dreading another strike.
“I waited for the strike to get over because getting a cab had become a huge problem. The surge prices made the situation worse. The government should find a solution to this issue so that commuters don’t suffer,” said Uma Maheshwari, a resident of Vasant Vihar in south Delhi.
