Gig Workers’ Call All-India Strike on Christmas and New Year’s Eve: Here’s What They Demand

Gig workers from leading e-commerce and food delivery companies such as Swiggy, Zomato, Zepto, Blinkit, Amazon, and Flipkart have called for a nationwide strike on December 25 and December 31, 2025.

The strike, organised by the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers and the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union, aims to highlight what the unions say are worsening conditions for gig workers, including issues related to pay, safety, job security, and access to social benefits.

The unions’ demands include transparent and fair pay structures, withdrawal of “10-minute delivery” models citing safety concerns, an end to account blocking without due process, improved safety gear and accident insurance, and assured work allocation without algorithmic discrimination, according to their statement.

Delivery workers report enduring long hours, declining pay, unsafe delivery targets, sudden account suspensions, and limited access to welfare benefits, especially during peak seasons and festive periods.

They are also demanding mandatory rest breaks, reasonable working hours, improved technical and grievance support within apps, and access to social security benefits, including health insurance, accident coverage, and pension schemes.

The unions have called on the Central and State governments to regulate platform companies, ensure labour protections, establish social security systems for gig workers, and recognise their right to organise and engage in collective bargaining.

Shaik Salauddin, Founder President of the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union and Co-Founder and National General Secretary of the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers, said the strike has been called to protest unsafe working conditions, declining earnings, and insufficient social protection for delivery workers.

“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,” he said in a statement.

The strike is likely to affect delivery services in several cities on both days, depending on the level of participation by delivery personnel.