Gig Workers Stage Bold New Year’s Eve Strike Amid Threats and Intimidation

Gig and platform worker unions have announced a strike on Wednesday, the busiest delivery day of the year, to protest the exploitation of workers, vowing not to bow to threats or intimidation by platform companies, which they accuse of responding with coercion rather than dialogue after a nationwide flash strike on Christmas Eve.

The Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) and the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) accused platform companies of responding with intimidation instead of dialogue to the strike, which they said saw participation by nearly 40,000 workers and caused delivery disruptions of up to 50–60 percent in many areas.

 In a press note, Shaik Salauddin, founder president of TGPWU and co-founder and national general secretary of IFAT, alleged that companies resorted to ID blocking, threats, police pressure, and what he described as “algorithmic punishment” to suppress workers’ voices.

According to the unions, platforms attempted to break the strike by deploying third-party delivery agencies, offering extra incentives as “bribes,” and reactivating inactive delivery IDs. 

Salauddin said these actions exposed what he called the “modern-day exploitation” underpinning India’s gig economy.

“Delivery workers are not slaves of algorithms,” the statement said, rejecting unsafe “10-minute delivery” models, arbitrary ID deactivations, and the denial of dignity, fair wages, and social security. 

According to the union, as of last night, over 1.7 lakh delivery and app-based workers across India have confirmed participation, with numbers expected to rise further by evening.

They noted that while the December 25 action sent a clear warning to platform companies over falling earnings, unsafe delivery pressures, and the erosion of dignity at work. But, the companies responded with silence, offering no rollback of reduced payouts, no dialogue with workers, and no concrete assurances on safety or working hours, making Wednesday’s strike “unavoidable.”

They alleged that at the same time, platform companies are rolling out celebrity-backed advertisements to distract workers and undermine unity, asserting  that “these glossy campaigns cannot hide the reality on the ground.”

Workers said they are facing continuous reductions in per-order payouts, the dilution of distance- and time-based compensation, and arbitrary, ever-changing incentive structures that make their incomes increasingly unstable. They also pointed to extreme pressure created by 10-minute delivery models, which they say has led to accidents, injuries, and severe mental stress.

They argued that the so-called “flexibility” of gig work is misleading, as many workers, including students, are effectively forced to work eight to ten hours a day due to unrealistic targets and penalties for breaks or log-outs. 

Emphasising that there is no “social or economic necessity for hyper-speed deliveries,” the workers said human lives cannot be sacrificed for corporate competition and consumer convenience.

They stated that their demands are directed not only at platform companies but also at state and central governments, calling for urgent regulation of the gig economy.

The unions also urged the government to intervene immediately, calling for stricter regulation of platform companies, an end to worker victimisation, and guaranteed wages, safety protections, and social security for gig workers.

 In a letter to Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, they urged the Centre’s immediate intervention to stop “exploitation” of workers by platforms in the food delivery and taxi service sectors. 

The federation demanded immediate regulation of platform companies under labour laws, a ban on unsafe “10-minute delivery” models, an end to arbitrary ID blocking, transparent and fair wages, comprehensive social security including health and accident insurance and pensions, and protection of workers’ rights to organise and bargain collectively.

Calling for immediate government intervention, IFAT urged the Centre to convene a tripartite discussion involving the government, platform companies, and worker unions.

YouTuber and political commentator Dhruv Rathee urged people to boycott all major delivery and gig economy apps for one day in  solidarity with protesting gig workers .

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