Delivery Services May Be Hit on Dec 25, 31 as Workers Plan Nationwide Strike.

Delivery Workers Call Nationwide Strike on Dec 25, 31.

Gig and app-based delivery workers across India have launched a nationwide strike on Christmas Day, December 25, with a second walkout planned for New Year’s Eve on December 31, raising the prospect of widespread disruption to food delivery, quick-commerce, e-commerce and home services during the peak holiday season. Led by major unions including the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) and the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU), the protest targets what workers describe as deteriorating working conditions, unsafe ultra-fast delivery models and opaque algorithm-driven management systems.

Delivery partners associated with platforms such as Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit, Zepto, Amazon, Flipkart and Urban Company are participating in “flash strikes”, logging off for two-hour windows during peak demand to underline their indispensability. Early impact is already visible in Bengaluru, Gurgaon and parts of Delhi-NCR, where customers have reported delayed deliveries, unfulfillable quick-commerce orders and higher surge fees.

The workers’ charter of demands includes a ban on 10-minute delivery models, transparent and fair pay structures linked to fuel costs and actual hours worked, an end to arbitrary account blocking without grievance redressal, and access to social security benefits such as health insurance, accident cover and pensions as new labour codes are debated in Parliament. As platforms scramble to manage the holiday rush with a reduced workforce, customers are being advised to order well in advance or opt for direct pick-ups, with uncertainty likely to continue through New Year’s Eve.