29 Dec 2025
Major food delivery and quick-commerce platforms including Swiggy, Zomato, Zepto, Blinkit, Instamart, along with major e-commerce players such as Amazon and Flipkart, may face delivery disruptions on New Year’s Eve due to the nationwide gig workers’ strike announced for December 31.
🚨 Nationwide Strike Planned on 31st December
Delivery partners working with leading food delivery and quick-commerce platforms have announced a nationwide strike on 31st December, one of the busiest days of the year for online food and grocery orders.
The strike call has been made to protest low earnings, long working hours, unsafe delivery timelines, and lack of social security benefits faced by gig workers across India.
🛵 Platforms Involved
The strike is expected to impact deliveries across platforms such as Swiggy, Zomato, Zepto, Blinkit, and Instamart, Amazon, Flipkart
Worker groups have chosen New Year’s Eve deliberately, citing it as a high-demand period when delivery partners experience maximum pressure and longer working hours.
📊 What Workers Are Protesting Against
According to reports highlighted by NDTV, delivery partners have raised the following concerns:
Low daily earnings, often between ₹200–₹600 after expenses
10–14 hour workdays with little or no weekly rest
No assured minimum income or fixed incentives
Rising fuel, vehicle maintenance, and penalty costs
Lack of health insurance and accident coverage
Sudden and unexplained account deactivations by platform algorithms
Many workers stated that despite working throughout the day, monthly earnings often fall below sustainable levels.
⏱ Pressure From Ultra-Fast Delivery Models
Delivery partners have also criticised ultra-fast delivery promises such as 10-minute deliveries, stating that these targets create unsafe working conditions and increase the risk of road accidents.
Workers argue that speed-focused models prioritise customer convenience over delivery partner safety.
✊ Demands Raised by Delivery Partners
As part of the 31st December strike, gig workers are demanding:
Minimum guaranteed earnings
Transparent and fair incentive structures
Removal of unrealistic delivery timelines
Health and accident insurance coverage
Transparent Deactivation Policies and Appeal/Grievance Redressal Mechanism
Recognition of delivery partners’ rights and welfare
📌 Impact on Consumers
If the strike sees wide participation, food and grocery deliveries may be disrupted on New Year’s Eve across several cities. Consumers are advised to plan accordingly, while industry observers say the protest highlights deeper structural issues within the gig economy.
If many delivery workers join the strike on 31st December, it could affect businesses that depend on home delivery during New Year’s Eve.
Restaurants and cloud kitchens may face fewer deliveries, cancelled orders, and loss of sales on one of the busiest days of the year.
Grocery and quick-commerce sellers may struggle to deliver orders on time, causing delays in stock movement and missed sales.
Online sellers and e-commerce businesses using fast or same-day delivery may see order backlogs and delivery delays.
Delivery platforms may face higher costs and operational pressure to keep services running.
Business owners say the situation highlights the need for a stable and reliable delivery system, especially during peak demand periods.
🔎 Source
This news is based on reports and information published by NDTV and publicly available details related to the nationwide gig workers’ strike announced for 31st December.