Facing New Year’s Eve Strike Call, Zomato and Swiggy Boost Gig Worker Payouts

In an effort to minimise service interruptions on New Year's Eve amid a strike call by gig workers' unions, food delivery platforms Zomato and Swiggy are providing additional incentives to their delivery partners, a practice they typically follow during festive periods.

According to the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) and Telangana Gig and Platform Workers' Union (TGPWU), thousands of workers are expected to participate in the statewide strike in order to demand better pay and working conditions. Industry sources claim that on New Year's Eve, when demand is at an all-time high, the strike may have an impact on the operations of food delivery and rapid commerce companies like Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, Instamart, and Zepto.

New Payout Plan for the Gig Workers

During peak hours on New Year's Eve, from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m., Zomato has paid delivery partners between INR 120 and INR 150 every order. According to media reports, the portal has also offered rewards of up to INR 3,000 throughout the day, depending to order volumes and worker availability. Additionally, Zomato has temporarily eliminated penalties for order denials and cancellations. However, they emphasised that this was a routine operating procedure that was implemented during moments of high demand, such as the holidays and year-end.

A representative for Eternal told PTI that this is part of the company's regular yearly operating procedure around holidays, when there are usually more opportunities to make money because of increased demand. According to multiple sources, Swiggy has also raised incentives for the year-end season, paying delivery workers up to INR 10,000 between December 31 and January 1.

In an effort to guarantee sufficient rider availability during one of the busiest ordering windows of the year, the platform is advertising peak-hour earnings of up to INR 2,000 for the six-hour period between 6 pm and 12 am on New Year's Eve, they said, adding that higher payouts were a common practice during such times. Over 1.7 lakh delivery and app-based workers in India had confirmed their involvement as of last night, according to a joint statement from TGPWU and IFAT, and the figure is predicted to increase by the evening.

Why Swiggy & Zomato Took this Step?

According to the joint statement of TGPWU and IFAT, gig workers have called an intensified statewide strike on December 31, 2025, in response to the major walkout that saw thousands of delivery workers log off platforms throughout Telangana and other regions on December 25. Gig workers, however, have announced an intensified nationwide strike on December 31, 2025, according to a joint statement from TGPWU and IFAT, following the massive strike on December 25 that saw thousands of delivery workers log off platforms throughout Telangana and other regions.

The December 25 action delivered a strong warning to platform companies about declining earnings, dangerous delivery pressure, and loss of dignity at work, according to the joint statement. Companies, however, remained silent in response—no discussion with employees, no rollback of lower compensation, and no firm guarantees regarding working hours or safety. Today's strike is inevitable because of this ongoing indifference.

In order to collectively raise concerns about the rights, welfare, and dignity of gig and platform workers throughout India, the Gig and Platform Service Workers Union also declared a nationwide strike for December 31, 2025. According to the notice, in order to make the national strike cohesive and effective, all gig workers, platform workers, digital platform workers, app-based workers, and online freelancers are sincerely asked to join in by closing all work-related applications and refraining from rendering services on December 31, 2025.