If you’re planning to rely on food delivery or instant commerce apps to celebrate the New Year, you’ll want to plan in advance. Delivery workers associated with major platform companies including Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, Zepto, Amazon and Flipkart have announced a nationwide strike on December 31, 2025, which could be one of the busiest days of the year for online deliveries.

The strike is being led by Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU), Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) and is supported by several regional groups, including platform worker unions from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi-NCR, West Bengal and parts of Tamil Nadu. Union leaders claim that more than one lakh delivery workers on food delivery, quick commerce and e-commerce platforms are expected to either log out of the apps or have their work significantly reduced on New Year’s Eve.

The planned strike on New Year’s Eve comes just days after similar protests on Christmas Day, amid growing unrest within India’s gig workforce. Working conditions in the gig economy have continued to worsen, according to unions, even as demands for faster delivery have increased. They claim that companies are not improving the situation, which is making conditions worse for workers. It is being said that these problems will come to light through the strike.

India Today Tech has contacted platform companies including Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit for comments on the planned strike and concerns raised by delivery workers. However, we have not received any response yet.

Which services will be affected?

New Year’s Eve usually sees record order volumes. Therefore, the unions believe that the timing of this upcoming strike will force companies to take the workers’ demands seriously. The disruption caused by the strike is expected to impact food orders, grocery deliveries and last-minute shopping of users during year-end celebrations in major cities like Pune, Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar as well as in several tier-II markets.

Why protest?

The unions organizing the protest say the rapid expansion of food delivery and instant commerce has not led to better wages, job security or safe working conditions for people at the grassroots level. According to union leaders, these platforms continue to prioritize speed and customer convenience while workers bear the brunt of increasing workloads and declining earnings.

“Our nationwide strike (referring to the strike on December 25) has exposed the reality of India’s gig economy,” Sheikh Salahuddin, founder of TGPWU and national general secretary of IFAT, said (via The Times of India). They argue that whenever delivery workers have raised their voices, these platform companies have responded with blocking their IDs, issuing threats, intimidation with police complaints, and algorithmic punishments.

“This is nothing but modern-day exploitation,” says Salauddin. “The gig economy cannot be built on the broken bodies and muffled voices of workers.”

He also revealed that around 40,000 delivery workers took part during the strike on December 25, which led to around 60 per cent disruption in deliveries in several cities.

“Instead of addressing the workers’ demands, the companies tried to break the strike by using third-party delivery agencies, additional incentives, bribes and reactivating inactive IDs,” he said.

Some of the major problems faced by the workers are as follows:

App-based governance: One of the main issues highlighted by workers is the increasing reliance on opaque algorithms that control almost every aspect of work. According to delivery partners, the app-based systems of these companies track their functioning and set pay rates, incentives, delivery targets and even fines, often without any explanation or prior notice. Workers claim that the lack of transparency makes it difficult to estimate daily earnings and leaves them vulnerable to sudden changes in earnings.

Promise of fast delivery Pressure: Another major issue of contention by gig workers is the rise of ultra-fast delivery models, including promises of 10-minute delivery. The union argues that these strict time limits are encouraging risky behavior on the roads and significantly increasing the likelihood of accidents. Union representatives say the pressure to meet aggressive deadlines compromises safety and shifts operational risks from companies to individual workers.

“We will not accept the unsafe ’10-minute delivery’ model, arbitrary ID blocking, or denial of dignity and social security. The government must intervene immediately. Regulate platform companies, stop harassment of workers, and ensure fair wages, safety, and social security,” the union leader says.

The union also highlights that rapid delivery competition between platforms has also resulted in delivery expectations becoming unrealistic, placing extreme pressure on workers.

Low Income: The second issue is falling income. According to delivery partners, the company frequently revises its incentive structures, often without clarity, making monthly earnings uncertain. Many workers are working longer hours just to maintain previous income levels, while still lacking benefits such as paid leave, health coverage or income protection.

Weak Grievance Redressal Mechanism: Beyond wages and security, workers have also raised concerns about a weak grievance redressal mechanism. Some common complaints from workers are around sudden deactivation of work IDs without explanation, delayed or failed payments, penalties for issues beyond their control, and unclear route assignments generated by apps. Workers say there are no effective systems in place to quickly resolve these issues, forcing many to continue working in unfair conditions.

Meanwhile, the unions are also demanding basic social security measures for gig workers, including accident insurance, health coverage, sabbatical leave and pension benefits. They argue that delivery workers play a vital role during festivals, weekends and peak demand periods, yet formal employees are excluded from the protections available.