‘A small mistake can cost us our lives’: Why gig workers are on strike on New Year’s Eve

As Indians prepare to ring in the New Year on December 31, some may find their last-minute party essentials delayed or unavailable.

Delivery workers across multiple platforms (Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, etc.) have planned a nationwide strike to protest what they describe as unsafe working conditions and exploitative delivery timelines.

With the gig and platform workforce expected to grow to 2.35 crore by 2029-30, many on social media have expressed solidarity and joined the call to boycott these apps on New Year’s Eve.

So, who are the workers building India’s gig economy? And why are they on strike?

Newslaundry spoke to several workers and visited a Blinkit and Bistro warehouse in central Delhi to talk about the pressures of 10-minute deliveries.

‘Not a respectable job’

Kunal is 26 years old and has been working with Blinkit for six months. He previously worked at a call centre for three years but quit due to a low salary and job insecurity.

He told Newslaundry, “It is not that there is a future here either. Even the money is not better. The only thing is that you are doing it as per your discretion, but the company only cares about their profit, not about us.”

“This is not a respectable job. When we get an order, we have to drive on a road with traffic, keep ourselves safe, and also deliver within the given time. A small mistake can cost us our lives,” he added. 

Another worker interjected to point out the behaviour even inside the cloud kitchens.

Kunal added, “Customers' behaviour with us is fine. Not everyone is bad. It's more that they don't really care about us. If a person orders from their room, they want delivery right there. They won't step out. We even deliver in hospitals now. Imagine – we have to park our bikes, find the ward, and deliver the order inside. That alone takes so much time. How can we keep delivering door-to-door like this?”

Most workers outside this warehouse are not participating in the strike.

When asked why, 25-year-old Himanshu said, “Only those who are part of a union participate in these strikes. There is no unity here. The situations in our homes vary. Some can afford to strike, some have to earn, no matter how exploitative it may get.”

Himanshu studied till Class 10. He used to work at a publishing company for Rs 18,000 per month but quit due to the toxic environment there.

Speaking about the issues of platform workers, he said, “If there is ever an accident, we are always blamed for overspeeding, or some other reason is used against us. There may be health insurance for Rs 1 lakh or Rs 5 lakh, but nobody gets it. When neither the police, nor the ambulance, nor the fire brigade reaches in 10 minutes, why are we expected to do the same? This time should be increased.”

Speaking about the tactic of ID blocking, Himanshu pointed out, “I had organised a strike here because the supply of riders had increased more than the demand, so we were not getting paid enough. We were only able to earn Rs. 600-700 for a 14-hour shift. But after the strike, our IDs were blocked. The reason given was 'strike enabler'.”

He shared a screenshot of the same.

Speaking to Newslaundry on condition of anonymity, a Zomato delivery rider said they can reject only one delivery a day. “If we reject more than one delivery, our ID gets blocked until the next day.”

“We've told our families we ride safely. But the truth is, we jump red lights. We have to – there's no other way to deliver in 10 minutes. Overspeeding has become second nature. If we cross 10 minutes, customer care starts calling to ask why the order hasn't been delivered. There's always pressure,” Himanshu added.

Talking about the strike, another worker told us, “They announce a bonus on days like the 31st – Rs 10 extra per delivery. For those whose only income is this work, they have to take it. If they don't want to strike, we don't bother them. We understand their situation.”

Talking about the process of joining Blinkit, a gig worker explained, “There is an app that we have to download from the Google Play Store. After registering, around Rs 1200 is charged for the T-shirt and carry bag, which we pick from the warehouse. At the time of joining, we are told we will earn between Rs 45,000 and Rs 60,000 a month. But that’s not true.”

Several workers shared screenshots of their daily earnings. Most work over 12-hour shifts and earn a monthly income of Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000.

Workers also pointed out that to receive an incentive, several conditions must be met, such as logging in for certain hours in the morning and certain hours in the evening. “They keep us trapped for over 12 hours because of this,” said one of the gig workers Newslaundry spoke to. 

‘This is forced labour’

Speaking to Newslaundry, Nirmal Gorana Agni, National Coordinator of Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU), said, “The government aims to eradicate forced labour in India by 2030, and yet they are moving in an opposite direction. Gig and platform workers on all these apps have no social security, no legal protection, which is why we had to form this union.”

Sharing a letter written to Union Minister of Labour and Employment Mansukh Mandaviya, Agni stated, “First, we demand gig workers to be recognised as labour. Second, guarantee us minimum income and that also should be for an 8-hour day. Not that ‘you can earn Rs.40,000 if you work 15 hours daily’. These are not unskilled workers as they use an app. Third, the ratings and blocking of the ID system should be completely abolished.”

Further, pointing out the absurdity of a 10-minute delivery, Prashant Bhagesh Sawardekar, National President of Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT), told Newslaundry, “Even Maggi takes 10 minutes to be cooked, but these workers are expected to deliver in 10 minutes. Cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru have heavy traffic. If they break any traffic rules, the police will catch them. If they get hurt in an accident, the company backs off. The central government needs to implement the Social Security Code policy for them soon.”

Hoping the NYE strike would leave an impact, Agni said, “Today, workers will shut down their apps and not go to work. This will be seen in Haryana, Delhi, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.”

Newslaundry reached out to the offices of Swiggy, Blinkit, Zepto and Zomato for comment. This story will be updated once we receive a response from them.

Government schemes underway?

As per a NITI Aayog report published in June 2022, the number of gig workers and platform workers stood at 77 lakhs in 2020-21. This workforce is expected to rise to 2.35 crores by 2029-30.

Referring to the same report, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, answered in Rajya Sabha on December 18, “For the first time, the definition of ‘gig workers’ and ‘platform workers’ and provisions related to the same have been provided in the Code on Social Security, 2020 which has come into force on 21 November, 2025.”

She added that the Code provides for “framing of suitable welfare schemes for gig workers and platform workers on matters relating to life and disability cover, health and maternity benefits, old age protection, etc.”

The Code also provides for the establishment of a Social Security Fund to finance these welfare schemes.

Meanwhile, to maintain a database of unorganised workers, the ministry launched the e-Shram portal on August 26, 2021.

Referring to the same, Karandlaje said in the upper house, “The e-Shram portal is meant to register and support the unorganised workers by providing them a Universal Account Number (UAN) on a self-declaration basis. The Ministry of Labour and Employment has also launched the e-Shram- ‘One-StopSolution’ that entails integration of different social security/welfare schemes at a single portal.”

While the Union Budget 2025-26 also announced a provision for healthcare coverage under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), a press release states that the AB-PMJAY scheme for platform workers has yet to be launched.

Speaking on the e-Shram portal, GIPSWU National Coordinator Agni said, “The e-Shram portal came about because of COVID-19. Migrant workers were hit the hardest, and suddenly, we realised no one knew how many migrant workers even existed. When the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance, I filed an intervention application raising several issues. It turned out that no state had accurate data on migrant workers. That's when the government launched e-Shram – so workers could access central schemes.”

“But have gig workers or platform workers received any benefits from registering on e-Shram yet? I would say no,” Agni added.

In times of misinformation, you need news you can trust. We’ve got you covered. Subscribe to Newslaundry and power our work.