Instamart workers from Vidyanagar in South Kalamassery held a protest march over wage arrears, blocked worker IDs and demands for fair remuneration, but police stopped the march at the TVS Junction. The protest ended after company representatives assured union leaders that a meeting with management would be arranged within a week.
The march was organised under the leadership of the Kerala State Gig and Platform Workers’ Union, affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions. The workers’ demands included release of pending wages, restoration of IDs that had been blocked and payment of what they described as fair compensation for their work.
The protest involved workers associated with Instamart’s Vidyanagar operations in South Kalamassery. Police prevented the march from proceeding at TVS Junction, according to the report. The action brought the dispute into a public urban setting where platform-based delivery work intersects with traffic movement, commercial operations and daily consumer services.
CITU general secretary Suresh Padman inaugurated the march. District secretary M.G. Jijo presided over the programme. The union’s involvement places the dispute within a wider labour framework, while the immediate issue remains the employment and payment conditions faced by workers attached to the Instamart operation.
Following the police intervention, union leaders held discussions with the Kerala head of Instamart. The discussions focused on the workers’ demands and the next steps for addressing the dispute. The management agreed to facilitate a meeting with the company within one week, after which the protest was called off.
The report did not specify the total amount of wage arrears, the number of workers affected by blocked IDs or the reason given for the account restrictions. It also did not state whether the workers’ IDs had been restored or whether any payment had been made before the protest ended. The proposed management meeting is the next stated step in the dispute.
