Gig workers across India say their nationwide protest on December 31 was a major success, with roughly three lakh delivery partners joining a coordinated strike called by unions including the Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT). The day-long action — where workers logged off apps from early morning to midnight — aimed to spotlight deep-rooted issues in the gig economy, ranging from declining per-kilometre pay and unsafe “10-minute delivery” models to arbitrary account deactivations and lack of social security.

Union leaders highlighted strong participation in states such as Karnataka and Telangana, where many delivery agents abstained from working, leaving thousands of food orders undelivered in some localities. Workers called for the restoration of higher per-km wages, compensation for cancelled orders, removal of ultra-fast delivery pressures and stronger protections against account blocking.

While companies offered temporary incentives to keep some workers logged in during peak hours, the protest underscored persistent grievances over low wages, long hours, unsafe work pressures and a lack of formal labour rights in India’s gig sector. The strike has reignited discussion on how platform companies should treat frontline workers whose labour powers convenience-driven services nationwide.