The Gig and Platform Services Workers Union has demanded a guaranteed minimum monthly income of ₹40,000 for delivery workers across the country. The union has also called for the abolition of peak-hour pressure, slot-based work systems and restrictive weekend hour limits imposed by platforms. Delivery workers have further demanded compensation in cases where customers cancel orders after workers accept assignments. A nationwide strike led by GIPSWU has entered its final phase, with protests continuing across India on December 31. Union leaders estimate that nearly one to one-and-a-half lakh delivery workers will participate during peak demand hours today.
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Workers Mobilise Nationwide
Shaik Salauddin stated that workers across multiple cities are mobilising to protest unstable earnings, safety risks and arbitrary account actions taken by platforms. GIPSWU claims to be India’s first women-led national trade union representing gig and platform-based service workers. The renewed strike follows a December 25 protest that disrupted deliveries on major platforms before services stabilised later in the day. Unions have raised concerns about declining earnings, unsafe delivery targets, algorithmic control and the lack of social security benefits. The union has also submitted a list of fifteen demands to Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, seeking urgent government intervention.
Impact on Services and Key Demands
Delivery workers from metro cities as well as several tier-two cities are expected to participate in the nationwide strike today. A large turnout could cause delivery delays or reduced service availability for customers ordering food and essentials on New Year’s Eve. Unions have demanded an end to ten- and twenty-minute delivery mandates and sought a minimum per-kilometre payment rate of ₹20 across platforms. In its memorandum, the union warned that continued neglect of gig workers’ rights could negatively affect India’s economic growth and broader development goals.
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