Gig workers seek government intervention for fixed minimum pay, end to 10-minute deliveries

Gig workers across India have extended their nationwide strike to December 31, demanding government intervention over pay, safety, and working conditions.

The protest, involving workers from platforms such as Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, Zepto, and Flipkart BigBasket, has entered its second phase and may disrupt deliveries on New Year’s Eve.

The Gig and Platform Services Workers Union, India’s first women-led union in the sector, has written to Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya seeking immediate intervention. The union has called for an end to 10 to 20 minute delivery mandates, citing serious safety risks, and demanded a minimum per kilometre pay of Rs 20 along with guaranteed monthly earnings of Rs 24,000.

Women workers have also raised demands for maternity benefits, emergency leave, and stronger workplace safety measures. The union has sought legal recognition of platform workers as “workers” under labour laws rather than “partners”, along with an end to arbitrary ID blocking, punitive ratings, and algorithm-based penalties.

Additional demands include capping platform deductions at 20 percent, stopping auto-advance credit recoveries, compensation for customer cancellations, removal of performance-linked penalties, extending delivery timelines, and replacing AI-based support with 24/7 human grievance redressal.

The union has urged the Centre to hold tripartite discussions under the Industrial Disputes Act, warning that continued exploitation could threaten India’s economic growth.

Echoing these concerns, the India Federation of App-Based Transport said nearly 40,000 delivery workers joined a nationwide flash strike on December 25, causing 50 to 60 percent service disruption in several cities. It alleged that workers faced unsafe conditions, falling incomes, ID deactivations, algorithmic punishment, and harassment when raising grievances.