Smooth deliveries on New Years eve? Zomato, Swiggy hike payout to gig workers to avoid service disruptions; bid comes amid strike calls

NEW DELHI: Food delivery platforms Zomato and Swiggy have announced higher incentives for delivery partners on New Year's Eve, calling it a "standard festive protocol," amid strike call by gig workers' unions.

The incentives are aimed at ensuring minimal service disruptions during one of the busiest ordering periods of the year, an Eternal spokesperson told PTI.The incentive push comes as gig workers’ unions, including the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers’ Union (TGPWU) and the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT), have called for a nationwide strike on December 31 to demand better payouts, safer working conditions and greater dignity at work.Zomato said it is offering delivery partners payouts of Rs 120–Rs 150 per order during peak hours between 6 pm and 12 am on New Year’s Eve. The platform has also promised earnings of up to Rs 3,000 over the day, depending on order volumes and worker availability, according to people familiar with the matter. Penalties for order denials and cancellations have been temporarily waived."This is part of our standard annual operating protocol during festive periods, which typically see higher earning opportunities due to increased demand," an Eternal spokesperson told PTI.

Eternal owns Zomato and Blinkit.Swiggy has also raised incentives for the year-end rush. The platform is offering delivery partners the opportunity to earn up to Rs 10,000 across December 31 and January 1. For New Year’s Eve alone, Swiggy is advertising peak-hour earnings of up to Rs 2,000 for the six-hour window between 6 pm and 12 am, a period that typically sees the highest order volumes, the people aware of the development told PTI.In a joint statement, TGPWU and IFAT said, "As of last night, over 1.7 lakh delivery and app-based workers across India have confirmed participation, with numbers expected to rise further by evening.” The unions warned that the strike could disrupt operations of food delivery and quick commerce firms such as Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, Instamart and Zepto during one of the busiest days of the year.The strike follows a protest on December 25, when thousands of delivery workers logged off platforms across Telangana and other regions. "The December 25 action sent a clear warning to platform companies about falling earnings, unsafe delivery pressure, and loss of dignity at work. However, companies responded with silence — no rollback of reduced payouts, no dialogue with workers, and no concrete assurances on safety or working hours. This continued indifference has made today’s strike unavoidable,” the joint statement said.Calling for wider participation, the unions urged workers to shut down work-related applications and abstain from providing services on December 31 to make the strike "united and effective”.TGPWU president Shaik Salauddin said the fast-delivery model has intensified pressure on workers while changes to payment systems have reduced earnings. "Our demand to the platform companies was that our old payout structure be reinstated and that the 10-minute delivery option be removed from all platforms,” he told ANI. "We are ready to discuss and talk about it. We request the state and central government also to interfere in this.

”Salauddin added that workers had placed five key demands before platform companies, including restoring earlier payout structures that were in place during festivals such as Dussehra, Diwali and Bakrid.The strike is being organised under the banner of IFAT, which represents delivery workers and drivers associated with companies including Swiggy, Zomato, Zepto and Amazon.Meanwhile, Telangana labour minister Vivek Venkatswamy said the state government has approved the Gig and Platform Workers Welfare Bill, 2025. In a video message posted on X, he said, "Gig workers are suffering due to the increasing aggressiveness of aggregators… over time, their income levels have come down while work pressure has increased. The 10-minute delivery system has added further pressure on them.”