Nationwide gig workers’ strike threatens new year’s eve deliveries across India

New Delhi, Dec 31 (IANS) New Year’s Eve celebrations across India are likely to face major disruptions as thousands of gig workers associated with leading delivery and e-commerce platforms prepare for a nationwide strike on Wednesday. 

Delivery partners working with companies such as Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, Zepto, Amazon and Flipkart have announced plans to log off their apps or significantly reduce work, raising concerns over delays, cancellations and service breakdowns on one of the busiest commercial days of the year.

The strike has been jointly called by the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) and the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT), with support from multiple regional collectives operating across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi-NCR, West Bengal and parts of Tamil Nadu. 

Union leaders say the protest reflects growing frustration among gig workers over declining earnings, rising workloads and the absence of basic labour protections.

December 31 is traditionally one of the highest-demand days for food delivery, quick commerce and online shopping, driven by New Year celebrations and year-end sales. Industry analysts warn that large-scale participation in the strike could severely impact last-mile delivery operations, affecting restaurants, grocery platforms and retailers that rely heavily on app-based logistics to meet revenue targets.

According to the unions, delivery partners are increasingly being pushed to work longer hours while per-order payouts continue to fall. Workers have also raised concerns about the lack of insurance coverage, unsafe working conditions, arbitrary penalties imposed by algorithms, and the absence of job security. Despite being described by companies as “partners” and the backbone of India’s digital commerce ecosystem, gig workers say they are treated as disposable labour.

Customers in major urban centres such as Bengaluru, Pune, Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata are expected to experience long wait times, order cancellations and limited delivery availability throughout the day. Several tier-2 cities are also likely to be affected as regional collectives join the strike.

Unions have stated that the protest is not aimed at inconveniencing customers but at drawing urgent attention to systemic issues faced by gig workers. They have called on platform companies to engage in dialogue and implement fairer pay structures, social security benefits and transparent policies.

--IANS

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