Gig workers’ strike may disrupt Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit and Amazon deliveries

New Yearrsquos Eve celebrations across India are likely to face major disruptions as thousands of gig workers associated with leading delivery and ecommerce platforms prepare for a nationwide strike on WednesdayDelivery partners working with companies such as Zomato Swiggy Blinkit Zepto Amazon and Flipkart have announced plans to log off their apps or significantly reduce work raising concerns over delays cancellations and service breakdowns on one of the busiest commercial days of the yearThe strike has been jointly called by the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union TGPWU and the Indian Federation of AppBased Transport Workers IFAT with support from multiple regional collectives operating across Maharashtra Karnataka DelhiNCR West Bengal and parts of Tamil Nadu Union leaders say the protest reflects growing frustration among gig workers over declining earnings rising workloads and the absence of basic labour protectionsDecember 31 is traditionally one of the highestdemand days for food delivery quick commerce and online shopping driven by New Year celebrations and yearend sales Industry analysts warn that largescale participation in the strike could severely impact lastmile delivery operations affecting restaurants grocery platforms and retailers that rely heavily on appbased logistics to meet revenue targetsAccording to the unions delivery partners are increasingly being pushed to work longer hours while perorder payouts continue to fall Workers have also raised concerns about the lack of insurance coverage unsafe working conditions arbitrary penalties imposed by algorithms and the absence of job security Despite being described by companies as ldquopartnersrdquo and the backbone of Indiarsquos digital commerce ecosystem gig workers say they are treated as disposable labourCustomers in major urban centres such as Bengaluru Pune Delhi Hyderabad and Kolkata are expected to experience long wait times order cancellations and limited delivery availability throughout the day Several tier2 cities are also likely to be affected as regional collectives join the strikeUnions have stated that the protest is not aimed at inconveniencing customers but at drawing urgent attention to systemic issues faced by gig workers They have called on platform companies to engage in dialogue and implement fairer pay structures social security benefits and transparent policiesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever