Trying to avoid 31 December strike: Zomato-Swiggy lured delivery boys to earn Rs 10,000, lakhs of delivery partners involved

New Delhi. Online food and beverage delivery platforms Zomato and Swiggy have offered higher pay to their ‘delivery partners’ amid calls for a strike by ‘gig’ workers on New Year’s Eve. ‘Gig’ workers are employees who get paid on a work-based basis. These often work for online supply platforms. Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) and Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) claimed that lakhs of workers are set to join the nationwide strike demanding better pay and better working conditions.

The strike, according to industry sources, may impact the operations of food delivery and instant commerce companies like Zomato, Swiggy, BlinkIt, Instamart and Zepto on New Year’s Eve, when demand is at its peak. Zomato has offered to pay Rs 120 to Rs 150 per order to ‘delivery partners’ during the peak time between 6 pm and 12 am on New Year’s Eve. The platform has also promised to earn up to Rs 3,000 a day depending on the number of orders and availability of staff, sources with knowledge of the matter said.

Additionally, Zomato has temporarily waived off fines for order rejection and cancellation. However, he stressed that this is a standard operating procedure followed during the busy times of festivals and year-end. “This is part of our standard annual operating procedure during festivals which usually result in higher earning opportunities due to increased demand,” an Eternal spokesperson said.

Eternal owns the Zomato and BlinkIt brands. Similarly, Swiggy has also increased its year-end incentives. People with knowledge of the matter said that supplier employees have been offered earnings of up to Rs 10,000 between December 31 and January 1. “As of last night, more than 1.7 lakh delivery and app workers across the country have confirmed their participation,” Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) and Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) said in a joint statement. This number is expected to increase further by the evening.

On the other hand, people familiar with the matter say that after the massive strike on December 25, ‘gig’ workers have announced a nationwide strike on December 31, 2025. Earlier on December 25, on the occasion of Christmas, thousands of supply workers in Telangana and other areas had withdrawn themselves from various platforms.