Delivery workers call for all India strike on December 25 and 31
Delivery workers associated with food delivery and quick commerce platforms, including Zomato, Swiggy, Zepto, Blinkit, Amazon and Flipkart, went on strike December 25 and plan to stop work again on December 31—two of the busiest days of the year for these companies.
On Christmas Day, about 40,000 delivery riders across the country conducted flash strike and bike rallies, said Shaik Salauddin, founder-president of the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union ( TGPWU).
The strike was called by the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers and TGPWU to protest what they describe as worsening working conditions and declining pay-outs.
“We conducted flash strikes (for a few hours in some areas) across cities so that delivery riders don’t miss out on their earnings for the day. The point was to show the platforms the unity and power of these delivery riders,” Salauddin told ET.
In a video posted on X, the unions urged delivery workers across platforms to participate in what they called a nationwide action timed to coincide with peak demand days for food delivery and quick commerce services.
The unions are seeking job security, higher pay, safer working conditions and access to social security benefits. According to the unions, delivery workers faced intimidation from the platforms including ID blocking of key leaders, team leaders and active workers.
They claimed that about 50-60% of orders were delayed or disrupted in multiple cities.
While companies have not come forward to agree with the disruptions yet, some restaurant owners have noted that orders were not as per expectations for December 25.
“In Gurugram, we had a 50-60% order drop and it was business-as-usual in Delhi,” said Gagandeep Singh Sapra, cofounder of Tadka Rani cloud kitchen. “Some customers on food delivery apps reported seeing delivery partner unavailability during parts of the day.”
Food delivery and quick commerce orders spike on Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Last year, most of the platforms noted a record number of orders on December 31.
“There was a significant impact from the strike around Gurugram, Delhi and Patna regions, especially during lunch hours. In the South, there was some disturbance in parts of Bengaluru and Hyderabad,” said the founder of another quick-service restaurant chain with a pan-India presence.
Some restaurant and cloud kitchen owners took to social media to share the disruptions they were experiencing for delivery. To ensure operational efficiency, companies offered additional pay-outs and incentives to riders, according to the unions.
Food delivery platforms Swiggy and Zomato and quick commerce apps Instamart, Zepto and Blinkit did not respond to ET’s queries at the time of going to press Thursday.
“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 Salauddin.
The planned strike comes weeks after the government notified new labour codes that, for the first time, formally define gig work, platform work and aggregators. Under the rules, online platforms that rely on gig workers for deliveries, warehousing and related services must contribute 1-2% of their annual turnover to a gig worker welfare fund.
Zomato’s parent company Eternal and Swiggy said they would comply with the new labour codes, adding that the changes would not have a material impact on their long-term business or financial performance.
On Christmas Day, about 40,000 delivery riders across the country conducted flash strike and bike rallies, said Shaik Salauddin, founder-president of the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union ( TGPWU).
The strike was called by the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers and TGPWU to protest what they describe as worsening working conditions and declining pay-outs.
“We conducted flash strikes (for a few hours in some areas) across cities so that delivery riders don’t miss out on their earnings for the day. The point was to show the platforms the unity and power of these delivery riders,” Salauddin told ET.
In a video posted on X, the unions urged delivery workers across platforms to participate in what they called a nationwide action timed to coincide with peak demand days for food delivery and quick commerce services.
The unions are seeking job security, higher pay, safer working conditions and access to social security benefits. According to the unions, delivery workers faced intimidation from the platforms including ID blocking of key leaders, team leaders and active workers.
They claimed that about 50-60% of orders were delayed or disrupted in multiple cities.
While companies have not come forward to agree with the disruptions yet, some restaurant owners have noted that orders were not as per expectations for December 25.
“In Gurugram, we had a 50-60% order drop and it was business-as-usual in Delhi,” said Gagandeep Singh Sapra, cofounder of Tadka Rani cloud kitchen. “Some customers on food delivery apps reported seeing delivery partner unavailability during parts of the day.”
Food delivery and quick commerce orders spike on Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Last year, most of the platforms noted a record number of orders on December 31.
“There was a significant impact from the strike around Gurugram, Delhi and Patna regions, especially during lunch hours. In the South, there was some disturbance in parts of Bengaluru and Hyderabad,” said the founder of another quick-service restaurant chain with a pan-India presence.
Some restaurant and cloud kitchen owners took to social media to share the disruptions they were experiencing for delivery. To ensure operational efficiency, companies offered additional pay-outs and incentives to riders, according to the unions.
Food delivery platforms Swiggy and Zomato and quick commerce apps Instamart, Zepto and Blinkit did not respond to ET’s queries at the time of going to press Thursday.
“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 Salauddin.
The planned strike comes weeks after the government notified new labour codes that, for the first time, formally define gig work, platform work and aggregators. Under the rules, online platforms that rely on gig workers for deliveries, warehousing and related services must contribute 1-2% of their annual turnover to a gig worker welfare fund.
Zomato’s parent company Eternal and Swiggy said they would comply with the new labour codes, adding that the changes would not have a material impact on their long-term business or financial performance.
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