Why Swiggy, Zomato, and Amazon delivery workers are striking on New Year’s day

Ahead of New Year’s Eve, delivery workers from Swiggy, Zomato, Amazon, Flipkart, and other companies have announced a nationwide strike. This means that ordering food for New Year’s parties and online deliveries may be affected.

Post Published By: Sujata Biswal

Updated : 31 December 2025, 9:18 AM IST

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New Delhi: The countdown to the New Year has begun. In a few hours, the whole world will be celebrating the New Year. However, those planning online shopping and parties for the New Year may face a major setback.

Yes, ahead of New Year's Eve, delivery workers from Swiggy, Zomato, Amazon, Flipkart, and other companies have announced a nationwide strike. This means that ordering food for New Year's parties and online deliveries may be affected.

Which cities will be affected?
The strike is being led by the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union and the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers. Its impact is likely to be seen in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, and Hyderabad. Deliveries in Tier 2 cities like Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Indore, and Patna may also be affected.

Over 1 lakh workers on strike
Regional unions from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi NCR, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu have also joined the strike. They claim that more than 1 lakh delivery workers across the country will not log in to the app today or will remain active for only a short period.

Why is the strike happening?
It's worth noting that a similar strike by all workers was observed on Christmas Day. The union says that despite the increase in demand for gig workers, their working conditions have not improved. Companies neither pay them properly nor provide them with adequate security. This strike has been called due to the poor working conditions of delivery workers.

Due to the 10-minute delivery model, gig workers are often involved in accidents on the road. Despite working day and night in the sun, heat, cold, and rain, they do not receive facilities like accident insurance, health insurance, and pensions from the companies.

Gig workers' demands
The statement issued by the workers includes 9 key demands:

• A fair and transparent wage structure should be implemented.
• The 10-minute delivery model should be immediately stopped. ID blocking and penalties without due process should be stopped.
• Necessary safety gear and measures should be provided.
• There should be no discrimination based on algorithms; everyone should receive equal work.
• Respectful treatment should be ensured from the platform and customers.
• Breaks should be provided during work, and workers should not be made to work overtime.
• The app and technical support should be robust, especially for payment and routing issues.
• Social security benefits such as health insurance, accident cover, and pension should be ensured.

Who are gig workers?
Delivery workers are considered gig workers. These are employees who are paid for the work they do. Gig workers play a crucial role in various sectors, from the IT sector to e-commerce. However, they are not given adequate wages, nor is their safety ensured by the companies.