Gig workers call nationwide strike on December 25, 31 over pay, safety and social security

Gig workers call nationwide strike on December 25, 31 over pay, safety and social security

Delivery workers across major food delivery and e-commerce platforms, including Swiggy, Zomato, Zepto, Blinkit, Amazon and Flipkart, have called for an all-India strike on December 25 and December 31, 2025, escalating pressure on platform companies over what unions describe as worsening working conditions in the gig economy.

The strike has been called by the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union and the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers, and is expected to see participation from delivery partners across metros and large tier-2 cities.

What issues are delivery workers protesting against?

In a statement, the unions said delivery workers — who form the backbone of last-mile logistics, especially during peak demand periods and festivals — are grappling with falling earnings, long and unpredictable working hours, unsafe delivery targets, arbitrary ID blocking, and the absence of basic welfare and social security protections.

Among the key demands are transparent and fair pay structures that reflect actual working hours and costs, withdrawal of ultra-fast delivery models such as 10-minute deliveries that workers say compromise safety, an end to account suspensions without due process, improved accident insurance and safety gear, assured work allocation, and mandatory rest breaks.

The unions have also called for stronger app-level grievance redressal mechanisms to address routing and payment failures, and for job security measures including health insurance, accident coverage and pension benefits.

The statement flagged what it termed “unchecked algorithmic control” by platforms, arguing that risk has increasingly been shifted to workers even as delivery timelines have tightened and incentive structures have fluctuated.

What are unions demanding from the government?

Calling for immediate government intervention, the unions urged both the Centre and states to regulate platform companies, enforce labour protections, roll out social security frameworks for gig and platform workers, and formally recognise the right of gig workers to organise and collectively bargain.

"Delivery workers are being pushed to breaking point by unsafe work models, falling incomes, and total absence of social protection. This strike is a collective call for justice, dignity, and accountability. The government can no longer remain a silent spectator while platform companies profit at the cost of workers’ lives," Shaik Salauddin, founder president of TGPWU and co-founder and national general secretary of IFAT, said.

What has the government done recently for gig workers?

The strike unfolds against the backdrop of recent government labour reforms aimed at formally recognising gig and platform workers for the first time. Under the revised Code on Social Security, which came into effect on November 21, 2025, digital platforms and aggregators are now required to contribute between 1–2% of their annual turnover into a dedicated Social Security Fund, capped at 5% of payments made to gig and platform workers.

The fund is intended to finance welfare schemes such as health cover, accident insurance and maternity benefits, according to the Press Information Bureau.

The new framework also mandates Aadhaar-linked universal account numbers for workers to ensure portability of social security benefits and expands the legal definition of gig and platform roles — a departure from their largely informal status until now.

While several platforms have publicly welcomed the move, saying it provides a clearer regulatory pathway and stronger social security cover, unions argue that statutory contributions are only a first step and do not fully address structural issues around minimum earnings, workplace safety and algorithmic management.