Gig and delivery workers from major e-commerce and food delivery platforms have announced an all-India strike on Christmas (December 25) and New Year's Eve (December 31, 2025). The strike, organized by the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFATW), has already disrupted delivery timelines across India's quick-commerce and food delivery services. This demonstration aligns with the high year-end demand, which is among the busiest times for food and grocery deliveries.
Platforms to be impacted
According to reports from CNBC-TV18 and The Hindu, platforms like Swiggy, Zomato, Zepto, Blinkit, Amazon, and Flipkart have declared a nationwide strike on December 25 and December 31, 2025.
The Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFATW) and the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union have called for the strike to protest "deteriorating working conditions." Workers expressed concerns over wages, safety, job security, and social protection, citing ongoing challenges such as long hours, unsafe delivery targets, arbitrary account deactivations, and a lack of welfare benefits, particularly during peak periods and festivals.
Key Issues:
Low wages and declining earnings
Unsafe working conditions and delivery targets
Unjustified account deactivations
Lack of social security and welfare benefits during peak demand times
Union Demands to End '10-Minute Delivery'
The unions have outlined key demands, including:
Transparent and fair pay structures
Withdrawal of the “10-minute delivery” model
Stop to account deactivations without due process
Improved safety gear and accident insurance
Assured, non-discriminatory work allocation
Other demands include better safety measures, consistent work distribution, improved technical support, job and social security (health insurance, accident coverage, and pensions), and respect and dignity at work.
Workers are urging the Central and state governments to regulate platform companies, enforce labor protections, and implement social security frameworks for gig workers. They also demand recognition of gig workers' right to organize and collectively bargain.
“While the government has introduced the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers [Social Security and Welfare] Act, 2025, the implementation has not been effective yet," said Mohammad Inayat Ali, national vice president of IFAT. Ali also criticized the 10-minute delivery model for putting workers’ lives at risk and claimed companies blackmailed workers wanting to join unions.
