Source HT
New Delhi, India — December 31, 2025 — Thousands of delivery workers affiliated with major platforms including Swiggy, Zomato, Amazon, and other food- and quick-commerce apps have staged a nationwide strike on New Year’s Eve, threatening to disrupt one of the busiest delivery nights of the year. The walkout, organised by unions such as the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) and the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT), reflects deepening frustration over working conditions in India’s booming gig economy.
With millions of customers relying on app-based deliveries for food, groceries and last-minute shopping during year-end celebrations, the strike has the potential to significantly impact services across major cities and towns. Platforms, in response, have rolled out enhanced incentive schemes in a bid to keep delivery volumes up despite the protest.
What Workers Are Demanding
The nationwide strike has been driven by a set of core grievances and demands from delivery staff who say their livelihoods have become increasingly precarious under current platform policies:
1. Restore Fair and Transparent Pay Structures
Workers have called for the return of earlier payment systems that they say offered more predictable and fair earnings, especially during festival and peak seasons. They allege that recent pay models make their income unstable and insufficient.
2. End the “10-Minute Delivery” Model
One of the most high-profile demands is the withdrawal of ultra-fast delivery targets, such as the widely criticised 10-minute delivery option. Workers argue that these rigid timelines force them to rush on busy streets, compromising safety and increasing the risk of accidents.
3. Protection Against Sudden Account Blocking
Many delivery workers report that accounts are blocked or deactivated without clear reasons or fair process, leaving them suddenly without jobs or income. The unions want transparent policies and proper grievance mechanisms.
4. Regulation of Algorithms and Incentives
Workers are critical of the heavy reliance on algorithm-based systems that affect work allocation, incentives and earnings. They say these opaque systems lead to unpredictable pay and unfair penalties.
5. Social Security and Labour Rights
A major thrust of the protest is the demand for greater social security benefits, including insurance coverage, accident protection, health benefits and pension schemes. Many gig workers are currently classified as “partners,” not employees, and lack access to basic labour protections.
Unions are also appealing to the central and state governments to regulate gig economy companies under labour law, enforce minimum per-kilometre rates, and formally recognise gig workers’ rights to collective bargaining.
Impact and Industry Response
While the strike’s overall effect on services has varied by city, reports indicate delayed or cancelled deliveries in several regions. Platforms are attempting to mitigate the disruption by offering increased payouts and incentives to delivery partners willing to work during the peak hours of New Year’s Eve.
Zomato and Swiggy have both confirmed enhanced earnings opportunities during this high-demand period, a move they describe as part of standard festive season operations rather than a direct response to the strike.
Why This Matters
The strike highlights growing tensions between gig workers and technology platforms that dominate India’s online delivery sector — a sector that has expanded rapidly but remains largely unregulated in terms of worker protections. With jobs marked by unpredictable pay, limited benefits and safety risks, delivery workers are increasingly demanding a rethink of how the gig economy treats those who power its last-mile operations.
The Times of India
As the New Year begins, both delivery workers and companies face mounting pressure to find common ground — or risk prolonged unrest in a workforce vital to India’s e-commerce and on-demand services boom.
