New Year celebrations to be disrupted! Swiggy, Zomato, and Amazon delivery workers are on strike today; what is the reason?

The New Year's countdown has begun. In a few hours, the whole world will be celebrating the New Year. However, those planning New Year's parties and relying on online shopping might face a major setback.

Yes, all delivery workers, including those from Swiggy, Zomato, Amazon, and Flipkart, have announced a nationwide strike before New Year's Eve. This means ordering food for New Year's parties and receiving online deliveries could be problematic.

Which cities will be affected?

This strike is being led by the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union and the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers. Its impact is expected to be felt in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, and Hyderabad. Deliveries in Tier 2 cities like Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Indore, and Patna may also be affected.

Over 100,000 workers are on strike

Regional unions from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi NCR, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu have also joined the strike. They claim that today, more than 100,000 delivery workers across the country will either not log in to the app or will remain active for only a short period.

Why is the strike happening?

It's worth noting that a similar strike by all workers was observed on Christmas Day. The union states that despite the increased demand for gig workers, their working conditions have not improved. Companies neither pay them properly nor guarantee their safety. This strike has been called to highlight the poor working conditions of delivery workers.

Due to the 10-minute delivery model, gig workers are frequently involved in road accidents. Despite working day and night in the sun, heat, cold, and rain, they do not receive facilities like accident insurance, health insurance, and pensions from the companies.

Gig Workers' Demands

The statement issued by the workers includes 9 key demands:

A fair and transparent wage structure should be implemented.

The 10-minute delivery model should be immediately discontinued.

Blocking of IDs and imposing penalties without due process should be stopped.

Necessary safety gear and measures should be provided. There should be no discrimination based on algorithms; everyone should receive equal work opportunities.

Respectful treatment should be ensured from the platform and customers.

Breaks should be provided during work, and workers should not be made to work overtime.

The app and technical support should be robust, especially for payment and routing issues.

Social security, such as health insurance, accident cover, and a pension, should be ensured.

Who are gig workers?

Delivery workers are considered gig workers. These are employees who are paid for the work they do. Gig workers play a crucial role in various sectors, from the IT sector to e-commerce. However, they are often not paid fair wages, nor is their safety ensured by the companies.