Gig workers' strike hits New Year's Eve deliveries across India
If your food or grocery order is running late this New Year's Eve, here's why: gig workers from Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, Zepto, Amazon, and Flipkart are on a nationwide strike.
Organized by IFAT and TGPWU, the protest has slowed deliveries in cities like Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Pune, and Hyderabad—right when demand is at its peak.
What's behind the strike?
This isn't their first protest—workers already caused up to 60% disruption in services last week.
Their main asks? Safer delivery times (no more risky 10-minute rushes), fairer pay with festival bonuses restored, job security (so accounts aren't deactivated without warning), and real social security like insurance.
According to TGPWU President Shaik Salauddin, their calls for change have gone unanswered.
Why does it matter?
With thousands of workers joining in multiple states and IFAT urging the Labour Minister to step in against harassment and exclusion from labor rights, this strike highlights just how tough gig work can be—especially on one of India's busiest delivery nights.
If you rely on these platforms for your midnight cravings or essentials tonight, you're seeing firsthand what gig workers are fighting for.