Zepto, Blinkit and Other Delivery Apps’ Gig Workers to Go on New Year’s Eve Strike: What Are Their Demands? Explained

Gig workers associated with food delivery, quick commerce and e-commerce platforms are set to go on a nationwide strike on December 31, 2025, which could disrupt last-minute New Year’s Eve plans for customers across India.

Earlier, on December 25 (Christmas), gig workers held a strike that disrupted 50–60% of home delivery services for food and groceries in several cities. With another strike planned on one of the busiest days of the year for online ordering, services of apps such as Zepto, Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, Instamart, Amazon and Flipkart are expected to be affected nationwide.

Quick commerce, food delivery and e-commerce operations in multiple cities may see delays or shutdowns as delivery executives log off apps or significantly reduce their workload. Major cities likely to be impacted include Pune, Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata, along with several tier-2 cities.

The strike has been called by the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union and the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT), with support from regional worker groups in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi-NCR, West Bengal and parts of Tamil Nadu.

WHY ARE GIG WORKERS PROTESTING AND WHAT ARE THEIR DEMANDS?

According to the unions, delivery partners are the backbone of India’s app-based commerce ecosystem but are being pushed into longer working hours for inadequate pay.

Workers allege that they face:

• Unsafe and unrealistic delivery targets
• No job security
• Lack of basic social protection
• Arbitrary ID blocking
• Absence of dignity at the workplace

In a letter addressed to Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, IFAT stated that it represents around 4,00,000 app-based transport and delivery workers across the country.

The federation said the December 25 nationwide strike had already led to 50–60% service disruption in several cities. However, according to the union, platform companies did not engage with workers after the protest.

Instead, IFAT alleged that companies responded with threats, account deactivations and algorithm-based penalties, and accused platforms of using third-party agencies to weaken the strike.

The protest aims to draw attention to:

• Unsafe delivery models, including extreme fast-delivery timelines
• Falling incomes
• Arbitrary account deactivations
• Lack of social security

In its letter, IFAT urged the government to:

• Bring platform companies under labour laws
• Ban unsafe and extreme fast-delivery models
• Ensure fair and transparent wage systems
• End arbitrary ID blocking
• Provide social security benefits such as health cover, accident insurance, and pensions
• Protect workers’ right to organise and bargain collectively

The federation has sought immediate government intervention and called for dialogue involving the government, platform companies and worker unions.

The letter is signed by Shaikh Salauddin, Co-founder and National General Secretary of IFAT, and Inayath Ali, Founder of the Karnataka App-Based Workers Union and National Vice-President of the federation.