Swiggy, Zomato & Other Gig Workers on Strike Today, Dec 31 — What Are Their Key Demands?

A nationwide protest by app-based delivery workers is reaching its final stage, with thousands of gig workers across India extending their strike on December 31, a day marked by peak order volumes due to New Year’s Eve celebrations. The movement is being spearheaded by the Gig and Platform Services Workers Union (GIPSWU), which claims to be the country’s first women-led national union representing platform workers.

Union leaders estimate that nearly 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh delivery partners may stop work during high-demand hours on Tuesday, potentially affecting food delivery and quick commerce services across major cities.

Shaik Salauddin, founder president of the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union and a national office-bearer of the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers, said workers are mobilising in large numbers to draw attention to long-standing concerns related to unstable earnings, safety risks, and arbitrary actions by platforms, including sudden account suspensions.

Strike Follows Christmas-Day Protest

The renewed action comes shortly after a similar strike on December 25, when around 40,000 delivery workers reportedly participated. That protest led to temporary service disruptions on platforms such as Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit, Instamart, and Zepto, particularly during peak meal hours, before operations gradually normalised later in the day.

Requests for comments sent to major platform companies, including Swiggy, Zomato, Zepto, Flipkart, Amazon, and Eternal, did not receive immediate responses.

Why Are Gig Workers Protesting?

According to union representatives, the strike is aimed at highlighting what they describe as deteriorating working conditions in the gig economy. Issues cited include declining pay, unsafe delivery timelines, excessive algorithm-driven monitoring, lack of social security, and sudden deactivation of worker IDs without clear justification.

The union has submitted a 15-point charter of demands to Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya through a formal memorandum signed by GIPSWU president Seema Singh and national coordinator Nirmal Gorana.

Workers from both metro areas and several tier-two cities are expected to join the protest. If participation is high, customers may face delivery delays or limited service availability on New Year’s Eve.

Key Demands Raised by the Union

Among the major demands put forward by the workers are:

• Scrapping ultra-fast delivery commitments such as 10- and 20-minute delivery targets
• A minimum payment of Rs 20 per kilometre for delivery partners across platforms like Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit, Zepto, Flipkart, and BigBasket
• A guaranteed minimum monthly income of Rs 40,000
• Compensation for orders cancelled by customers
• Removal of rigid peak-hour, slot-based, and weekend working limits
• Emergency leave and full maternity protection for women workers
• An end to sudden ID suspensions and punitive rating mechanisms

Additional demands include replacing AI-driven support systems with round-the-clock human customer service, discontinuing mandatory photo-based proof-of-work requirements, reopening physical company hubs, and restricting women workers’ delivery radius to within seven kilometres of their homes.

Impact on Businesses and Platforms

The timing of the strike is particularly sensitive for food delivery and quick commerce companies, as Christmas and New Year’s Eve are among the busiest periods of the year. These platforms typically see a surge in orders for meals, beverages, groceries, and party essentials during this festive window.

Industry reports indicate that several direct-to-consumer brands recorded 100 to 150 percent growth in order volumes over Christmas, driven largely by quick commerce demand. With New Year’s Eve approaching, platforms are bracing for continued high demand.

How Platforms Are Responding

While companies have not publicly shared detailed contingency plans, industry sources suggest that platforms are closely tracking participation levels and making operational adjustments where possible. Some platforms are reportedly offering higher incentives and bonuses to delivery partners to ensure workforce availability and reduce disruptions during peak hours.

The union, however, maintains that the protest reflects the growing dependence of the platform economy on gig workers and warns that ignoring their concerns could have broader consequences for India’s economic ambitions. In its memorandum, GIPSWU stated that sustainable development is not possible without fair treatment of workers who form the backbone of the rapidly expanding digital economy.

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