LPG supply disruptions linked to West Asia conflict hurting food deliveries nationwide.
Gig workers’ union says orders on platforms like Zomato, Swiggy dropped sharply.
Union seeks ₹10,000 relief, social security coverage, halt to ID deactivations.
Restaurants, eateries and consumers have raised concerns about higher prices and reduced output in some sectors where liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is deployed. The gig workers’ union has also warned that the crisis could affect the food delivery ecosystem. This comes amid growing concerns over the West Asia conflict.
The Gig and Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) wrote in a post on X that the ongoing conflict in West Asia is disrupting LPG supplies and severely affecting the livelihoods of delivery partners and other workers linked to the sector.
2 March 2026
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The union stated in a news release that disruptions in global LPG supplies have caused shortages of commercial cylinders, forcing restaurants, dhabas, cloud kitchens, catering services and street vendors to shut down. According to the union, this has wiped out 50-60% of food delivery orders on online platforms such as Zomato and Swiggy.
“Our members are starving,” Nirmal Gorana, GIPSWU spokesperson stated in the news release. “Hundreds have approached us: families skipping meals, kids going hungry. A gig worker from Delhi, a father of two, laments, ‘From 30 deliveries a day to 5-10, platforms now threaten to deactivate my ID.’ Ride-hailing drivers lose restaurant runs, cloud kitchen workers face pink slips. This war-induced disaster is pushing us into unemployment and debt. It is estimated that nearly ten million workers are being affected, among whom gig and platform workers constitute a large section. The present crisis is turning into disaster,” the news release further noted.
In addition, the union said that gig workers, without fixed wages or social security benefits, bear the brunt of forces beyond their control as they are particularly vulnerable during such supply shocks.
Gig Workers Seek Relief
The GIPSWU has written to the Union Labour Minister seeking urgent intervention and requesting an emergency meeting with platform companies and oil firms.
The GIPSWU also outlined a set of demands, urging the oil ministry to ensure uninterrupted 24/7 commercial LPG supply to food businesses to minimise disruptions.
It called on platforms Zomato, Swiggy and other platforms to pay ₹10,000 immediate relief per affected worker. The union further demanded three-month moratorium on ID deactivations and minimum daily incentives. In addition, it sought full coverage of gig workers under the Code on Social Security, 2020. GIPSWU urged the Labour Minister to convene a 48-hour emergency meeting with platforms companies and oil firms to address the “humanitarian crisis”.
