Why Are India’s Delivery Workers Going on Strike This New Year’s Eve?

New Delhi: From early mornings to late nights, delivery workers are constantly on the move, navigating congested roads, extreme weather, and tight deadlines to keep India’s cities running. While their work has become indispensable to everyday life, the conditions under which they operate have steadily worsened, pushing many of them to the edge. 

It is this growing strain that led the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers to call for a strike on New Year’s Eve. The protest, which also affected deliveries during Christmas in some areas, is meant to draw attention to the daily hardships faced by delivery workers and the lack of action on their long-standing demands.

The precise number of delivery personnel in the nation is unknown. However, according to a 2022 NITI Aayog research, there were approximately 77 lakh gig workers in India in 2020–2021, including those working in app-based taxi services, fast commerce, and food delivery. This figure was projected to reach between 80 lakh and 1.8 crore by 2024. 

What Pushed Workers to Strike

Delivery workers claim that while pay is still poor, long hours and extreme work pressure have become the norm. Without adequate legal protection, many suffer from work insecurity, physical strain, emotional stress, and the ongoing risk of accidents.

These conditions are revealed by a 2022–2023 survey of 5,000 delivery and taxi workers in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Lucknow, which was carried out by the non-profit PAIGAM. The University of Pennsylvania and the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers collaborated on the study.

According to the "Prisoners on Wheels?" survey, around 55% of delivery workers work 10–12 hours a day, while nearly 20% work 12–14 hours. In spite of this, roughly 64% make between ₹200 and ₹600 a day. After deducting costs like vehicle EMIs, maintenance, and traffic fines, over 34% of respondents stated their monthly income is less than ₹10,000.

Over 47% of workers do not receive performance-based incentives or a minimum wage guarantee, according to the report. Despite traveling 101–150 km per day, nearly half do not take even one day off. Approximately 49.8% reported that they only spend one to two hours each day relaxing or spending time with their families.

Safety and health continue to be a top priority. Workers are exposed to significant financial and medical risks in the event of an injury because the majority of delivery platforms do not provide health or accident insurance.

Anger Over 10-Minute Deliveries

The 10-minute delivery model, which is supported by quick-commerce sites like Zepto, Blinkit, Instamart, and Flipkart Minutes, is a major cause of the walkout. Nearly 86% of delivery workers are against this method, claiming it makes them rush on the highways and raises the risk of accidents, according to the PAIGAM survey.

About the Strike and Its Impact 

According to unions, delivery employees from companies including Swiggy, Zomato, Instamart, Zepto, Blinkit, Amazon, and Flipkart took part in the walkout. As a result, throughout Christmas, certain parts of Gurugram and other cities experienced disruptions to quick-commerce services.

According to the organization, the strike is a demand for basic social protection, safer working conditions, fair wages, and an end to delivery methods that endanger workers' lives. According to union leaders, the decision to go on strike was made after workers' repeated complaints failed to result in significant improvements.