Swiggy, Zepto, Blinkit Deliveries Hit As Union Calls Strike On Christmas, New Year's Eve

Delivery timelines across India’s quick-commerce and food delivery platforms were disrupted after gig and platform workers launched an all-India strike on Dec. 25 and announced a second strike scheduled for New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31.

The strike, called by the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFATW), coincided with peak year-end demand, traditionally one of the busiest periods for food and grocery deliveries.

According to IFATW, delivery partners associated with Swiggy, Zomato, Zepto, Blinkit, Amazon and Flipkart participated in the protest, citing deteriorating working conditions and falling real wages.

The impact of the strike was most evident in parts of Gurgaon and the National Capital Region, where quick-commerce deliveries were suspended in several localities. Users reported delayed or cancelled orders on platforms including Swiggy Instamart, Zepto and Blinkit.

While most apps continued accepting orders, delivery timelines stretched significantly, with several orders later marked as unfulfilled due to the unavailability of delivery partners. Instamart, Zepto, Blinkit were unable to fulfill the quantum of orders.

At the centre of the protest is the demand to withdraw ultra-fast delivery promises such as '10-minute delivery', which unions argue push workers into unsafe riding practices on congested city roads.

Other demands include the already known guaranteed rest breaks, transparent incentive structures, minimum per-order payouts, and access to social security benefits such as accident insurance and health coverage.

IFATW said delivery workers are facing shrinking earnings despite higher order volumes, pointing to reduced incentives, penalties for delayed deliveries, and opaque algorithm-driven order allocation.

With a second strike scheduled for Dec. 31, unions warned that delivery disruptions could intensify on New Year’s Eve — one of the busiest days of the year for food and grocery delivery platforms.

The companies had not issued detailed responses at the time of publication.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha also raised a harsh reality of gig economy, sharing an image online recently which shows a Blinkit delivery worker's meager earnings.

The image depicts the worker completing few orders in long, gruelling hours, translating to a paltry Rs 52 per hour. That is before deducting fuel, vehicle maintenance, and other expenses.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Chadha wrote, "28 deliveries. 15 hours of relentless work.  Rs 763 earned. This is not a ‘gig economy success story’. This is systemic exploitation hidden behind apps & algorithms."