NEW DELHI — New Year’s Eve celebrations across India are facing the prospect of major disruptions as thousands of gig workers associated with top delivery and e-commerce platforms prepare for a nationwide strike on Wednesday.
Delivery partners for major companies including Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, Zepto, Amazon, and Flipkart have announced plans to log off their apps or significantly reduce their working hours. The move has raised immediate concerns regarding delays, cancellations, and total service breakdowns on one of the busiest commercial days of the calendar year.
The strike was jointly called by the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union and the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers. It has gained support from various regional collectives in Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and the Delhi-NCR region. Union leaders stated that the protest is a reaction to growing frustration over declining earnings, increasing workloads, and a lack of basic labor protections.
Industry analysts warn that the strike could severely impact last-mile delivery operations, affecting restaurants and retailers that rely on app-based logistics to hit year-end revenue targets. December 31 is traditionally a high-demand period driven by holiday parties and seasonal sales.
According to union representatives, delivery partners are being pushed to work longer hours while per-order payouts continue to drop. Workers have highlighted several grievances, including a lack of insurance coverage, unsafe working conditions, and arbitrary penalties imposed by company algorithms. While platforms often refer to these workers as partners, those on the front lines say they are treated as disposable labor.
Major urban centers such as Bengaluru, Pune, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Kolkata are expected to see the most significant impact, with customers likely to experience long wait times and limited delivery availability.
Unions clarified that the protest is not intended to inconvenience the public but to draw attention to systemic issues. They are calling on platform companies to engage in dialogue to implement fairer pay structures, transparent policies, and social security benefits. (Source: IANS)
