4 min readNew DelhiApr 16, 2026 10:27 AM IST
First published on: Apr 15, 2026 at 12:57 PM IST
Sonakshi Thapa (27) who had joined Urban Company to support her family, now dreads the commute — twenty-minute-long walks under the scorching sun or when it is raining heavily.
She is among the thousands of female gig workers who work as partners for platforms that provide at-home services.
Noida has been witnessing a series of protests by workers over wages in the last few days. A smaller group of women, all gig workers, gathered on Wednesday morning, but with a different demand: not more pay, but more predictable hours and basic dignity at work.
About 40 women who work with Urban Company, including Sonakshi, assembled outside a training centre in Noida Sector 60. They demanded an eight-hour shift, weekly time-off and access to essential facilities like drinking water and toilets.
Police officers escorted the women into buses and removed them from the site. (Express Photo)
The women on Wednesday said their concerns were rooted less in how much they earned than how they were made to work. They said the time was right as the demand put forward by several other workers was being heard by the UP government.
Sonakshi, who started working eight months back, said workers are given 15 minutes to travel between appointments — a target she termed as “unrealistic”. “It takes at least 20 minutes because we have to walk… it is challenging,” she said.
Thapa also pointed to challenges faced specifically by female workers. “We need to change sanitary pads. Every woman faces this issue,” she said. “We cannot do that in customers’ homes. We need proper facilities.”
She said that after deductions linked to ratings and attendance, her monthly earnings had dropped to about Rs 18,000 in recent months.
Another gig worker associated with the company for five months, Neha Devi (25), who earns about Rs 25,000 a month, echoed the same concern. “We are not asking them to increase our salaries. We are asking for fixed working hours and basic facilities.”
Devi said that although government norms prescribe an eight-hour workday, she and her colleagues are often required to work up to 11 hours. Absences on weekends, she said, can lead to disproportionately high deductions. “If my daily wage is Rs 833, why is Rs 1,000 rupees cut?” she said.
The women described a system which leads to fluctuations in their earnings, sharply based on customer ratings and strict punctuality metrics. “Even if we are late by a minute, our daily earnings are slashed by half,” she added.
The protesting women also said that supervisors were often unreachable and, at times, allegedly threaten them regarding account deactivation.
Their protest comes as other groups of workers across the city have taken to the streets since Friday, pressing for higher wages. (Express Photo)
The nature of their work — traveling from a customer’s home to another — also involved lack of access to basic amenities, they said. “We are told to use customers’ washrooms,” Devi said. “But many times, we are shooed away.”
Pinky Kumari (30), quickly unlocked her phone and opened WhatsApp. A series of texts to her supervisor read, “Sir please remove the cancellation”, “Only you could do it. Rs 1,000 would be cut.”
Showing the messages requesting a cancellation reversal, she said those went unanswered. “We were told during training that if we don’t cancel, our money won’t be deducted,” she said. “But no one listens.”
She added that while complaints raised by workers about customers rarely lead to action, even a minor complaint from a customer can result in immediate suspension of a worker’s account.
Wednesday’s protest was cut short later in the morning.
Police escorted the women in buses and removed them from the site. A senior officer present at the spot said the gathering had been allegedly prompted by a “misleading” message circulating among workers and described it as part of a broader pattern of mobilisation seen in recent days.
Queries sent to Urban Company remained unanswered.
About 40 women who work with Urban Company, assembled outside a training center in Sector 60, calling for an eight-hour workday, weekly time off and access to essential facilities like drinking water and toilets. (Express Photo) 
Police officers escorted the women into buses and removed them from the site. (Express Photo)
Their protest comes as other groups of workers across the city have taken to the streets since Friday, pressing for higher wages. (Express Photo)
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