Delivery and gig workers from India’s leading e-commerce, food delivery, and home service platforms—including Swiggy, Zomato, Zepto, Blinkit, Amazon, Flipkart, and several other aggregator companies—are set to observe a nationwide strike on December 25 and December 31. Workers say they are protesting against worsening working conditions, denial of fair wages, lack of safety, dignity concerns, and the absence of social security despite being the backbone of last-mile delivery services.
According to a joint statement released by the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) and the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT), delivery workers are forced to work extremely long hours while facing declining earnings, unsafe delivery deadlines, frequent and unfair ID blocking, and no job security. They added that festival seasons often see a surge in workload, but workers rarely receive fair compensation or welfare support.
What Are the Workers Demanding?
One of the major demands is the immediate withdrawal of the “10-minute delivery model,” which workers say puts their lives at risk while pushing unrealistic targets.
Their key demands include:
- End to arbitrary ID blocking and penalties without proper investigation or due process
- Stronger safety measures and provision of safety gear
- Assured and fair work allocation without algorithmic bias
- Respect and humane treatment from platforms as well as customers
- Mandatory rest breaks and regulated working hours
- Better app support, along with quick redressal systems for routing and payment issues
- Job security and social security benefits, including health insurance, accident coverage, and pension
Workers have also appealed to both the Central and State Governments to step in and regulate gig platforms more effectively.
“Delivery workers are being pushed to breaking point by unsafe work models, falling incomes, and total absence of social protection. This strike is a collective call for justice, dignity, and accountability. The government can no longer remain a silent spectator while platform companies profit at the cost of workers’ lives,” said Shaik Salauddin, Founder and President of TGPWU.