India, Dec 31 : New Year’s Eve deliveries across India could be disrupted as thousands of delivery partners working with major food, grocery and e-commerce platforms plan a nationwide strike on Wednesday, December 31.
Delivery workers associated with platforms such as Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit, Zepto, Amazon and Flipkart are expected to log off their apps or significantly scale back work during the day, according to news agency IANS. The action is likely to result in delays, cancellations and patchy service on what is typically one of the busiest days of the year for online orders.
The protest has been called by the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union and the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers, with support from several regional collectives. Union leaders said delivery partners from Delhi-NCR, Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal and parts of Tamil Nadu are expected to take part.
December 31 usually sees a sharp surge in demand for food delivery, groceries and e-commerce services due to New Year celebrations and year end sales. Industry watchers say any large-scale disruption in last mile delivery could impact restaurants, retailers and platform companies that depend heavily on app based logistics to meet peak demand.
Union representatives said the strike reflects growing dissatisfaction over falling earnings, longer working hours and the absence of basic labour protections. Workers have raised concerns over shrinking payouts per order, lack of insurance cover, unsafe working conditions and penalties imposed through automated systems. Many also point to job insecurity despite being classified as “partners” by platform firms.
Customers in major cities including Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune and Kolkata may face longer wait times and limited delivery availability through the day, the unions warned.
Organisers said the protest is aimed at pressing platforms to address long-standing structural issues rather than inconveniencing customers. They have urged companies to initiate talks on fairer pay structures, social security benefits and clearer, more transparent work policies.