Workers demand transparent pay, ban on 10-minute delivery: Strike on New Year’s Eve likely to affect quick commerce & food delivery services

Quick commerce and food delivery services are likely to face disruptions across Delhi and neighbouring regions on New Year’s Eve, as delivery workers’ unions have called for a strike over pay transparency, the blocking of worker IDs and the growing use of 10-minute deliveries and a ban on the model.

This follows another strike on December 25 that though did not see much participation, impacted Swiggy and Zomato deliveries during the afternoon and early evening in Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad.

Both these strikes have been called by Telangana-based Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU), and Karnataka-based Indian Federation of App-based Transport (IFAT) workers union and have seen support from the Delhi-based Gig Workers Association (GiGWA).

‘1.5 lakh expected to take part’

Around 50,000 workers participated on Christmas, said TGPWU president Shaik Salauddin, adding that around 1.5 lakh are expected to join the strike on Wednesday.

According to government estimates, the number of gig workers in the country is estimated to have crossed 1 crore in 2024-25.

Spokespersons for Zepto, Swiggy, Zomato, Amazon and Uber did not respond to requests for a comment.

The Indian Express, however, spoke to delivery partners who raised concerns about the risk involved in 10-minute deliveries and the non-transparent wage structure. “Even if we are late by a second for a delivery, our incentive for the entire day is taken away. We skip red lights and drive even when visibility is low,” shared a delivery partner at a Blinkit warehouse in East of Kailash.

“Khoon choos rahi hain company ab toh (The company is sucking our blood now)”, said a middle-aged man after delivering a Swiggy order at Gurgaon Sector 52.

“We work for at least 13-15 hours a day. Over the last few months, the minimum working hours increased from 10 to 13,” said Akaash, another delivery partner. “If we work less than 13 hours or stop before 11.30 at night, there is a deduction in our daily incentive.”

“Workers are currently paid on the basis of tasks they complete, not working hours. But this system does not take into account waiting time, low demand, bad weather and traffic delays. Platforms change pay structures whenever they like, so workers don’t know what their earnings will look like,” said Nitesh Kumar Das, Organising Secretary, GiGWA.

“Earlier we would get Rs 20-25 per order and pickup and delivery would be limited to a 2-km radius. Now it goes up to Rs 5 km. On weekends, we get Rs 450 as incentive for finishing 34 deliveries, earlier that used to for 25 deliveries,” said a delivery agent outside Ardee Mall in Gurgaon.

The Vice-President of National Restaurants Association of India, Pranav Rungta, said they are in touch with Zomato and Swiggy. “We are awaiting a formal intimation from them regarding the status of the strike. On (December) 25, business across NCR — particularly in Gurgaon — were impacted. The riders are smart, they know these dates will have the most impact.”

The main concern of restaurants is wastage of food apart from impact on business, as also the customers.

Workers in Gurgaon, meanwhile, said around 30% delivery partners will be joining the strike.

“Workers have been killed due to the constraints of the 10-minute delivery model. Who will be held responsible for their deaths,” said Salauddin.

There are also several workers who cannot afford to join the strike. A Swiggy delivery partner said: “Strikes don’t make much difference. I did not participate in the December 25 strike because I can’t afford a loss of pay and risk my ID getting terminated.”

A delivery partner earns around Rs 700-800 per day after 14-15 hours at work. “We have to pay for petrol, meals and rent for our vehicles and homes. It leaves us with barely Rs 300-400, which is not enough to run a family,” said a delivery partner from Blinkit.

Even when delivery agents from a store are on strike, customers receive orders from another.

No partner will be stopped from making deliveries, an internal communication sent to Zomato riders on Wednesday’s strike read. Zomato has also made arrangements with local authorities.

Akshit Behl, Growth and Investment Head at Khadak Singh Da Dhaba, said earning on New Year’s Eve goes up to 3-4 times of that on any other holiday, adding that the day also sees the highest number of orders for delivery.

Several customers, taking lessons from their experience on December 25, also placed bulk orders Tuesday. Behl said: “We have sent WhatsApp messages to our customers that delivery apps will be impacted, and we will be delivering bulk orders ourselves. However, bulk orders cannot really make up for the losses (to be incurred in case of a strike).”

“Bouncers picked up people who encouraged others to participate in the (December 25) strike. I will decide whether to take part based on the situation tomorrow,” a rider said.

“We came to know of the (previous) strike through WhatsApp and Instagram. Apparently, some of the admins were picked up by bouncers, and groups were deleted,” another added.