Gig workers call all-India strike on Christmas, New Year over pay, safety concerns

Associations representing gig and platform workers in India have called for an all-India strike on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve—two of the busiest periods for food and grocery delivery platforms such as Swiggy, Zomato and Blinkit—protesting what they describe as worsening working conditions and declining earnings.

The Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union said delivery partners, despite forming the backbone of last-mile delivery services during peak seasons and festivals, are being made to work long hours without basic welfare protections.

“Despite being the backbone of last-mile delivery—especially during peak seasons and festivals—delivery workers are forced to endure long working hours in the absence of basic welfare protections,” the union said in a statement shared on social media.

The unions have outlined several key demands, including the immediate withdrawal of the “10-minute delivery” model, which they say puts workers’ lives at risk; fair and transparent pay structures that account for actual working hours and costs; and assured work allocation without algorithmic discrimination.

They are also seeking job and social security benefits such as health cover, accident insurance and pension provisions, along with stronger grievance-redressal mechanisms. The workers have demanded an end to what they allege are arbitrary penalties and account deactivations without due process.

“Delivery workers are being pushed to breaking point by unsafe work models, falling incomes and the total absence of social protection,” said Shaik Salauddin, national general secretary of the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers.

Calling the strike a collective appeal for dignity and accountability, Salauddin said the government could no longer remain a “silent spectator” while platform companies continue to profit at the cost of workers’ safety and livelihoods.