Food delivery services across Maharashtra faced significant disruptions on Christmas Day as a massive one-day strike by gig workers brought operations to a standstill in major cities. The protest, organised by the Gig Workers Union, saw an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 delivery riders abstain from work to highlight grievances over what they term "inhumane workplace practices."
Widespread Participation Across Key Cities
According to Dr. Laxman Aare, the General Secretary of the Gig Workers Union, the strike witnessed participation from nearly half of the state's gig workforce. Riders associated with platforms like Zomato and others stayed off duty in major urban centres including Mumbai, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Nagpur, Kolhapur, and Navi Mumbai.
"This is a peaceful protest. We are not blocking roads or causing inconvenience to anyone," Dr. Aare stated on Wednesday evening. He emphasised the non-violent nature of the action, quoting a rider's slogan: "Hum apna kaam band kar rahe hain — unka kaam band nahin kar rahe" (We are stopping our work, not theirs).
Coordinated Action by Labour Unions
The strike call by the Gig Workers Union was backed by several prominent labour organisations. These included the Indian Labour Federation, Ajan India Workers Union, Janpahal General Workers Union, and the Platform App-Based and Other Commerce Workers Union. The action was confined to Maharashtra but was coordinated effectively across districts.
Union coordinators reported strong mobilisation, with Prashant leading efforts in Mumbai. Local representatives guided the protest in Pune, Kolhapur, Nagpur, and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. A union member revealed that the collective decision to not log into delivery apps led to a pile-up of pending orders throughout the day.
Core Issues: Pay, Safety, and Social Security
This coordinated strike marks one of the largest such actions by gig workers in Maharashtra in recent months. It underscores growing unrest within the sector over several critical issues. The primary demands and grievances centre around low and inconsistent pay rates, rising safety concerns for riders, and the complete absence of social security benefits like insurance and provident fund.
The union has stated that despite tagging the concerned companies on social media platform X, there has been no formal response to their demands. The protest aimed to draw public and governmental attention to the precarious working conditions faced by lakhs of delivery personnel who form the backbone of the rapidly growing platform economy.
The disruption on a major holiday like Christmas highlights the economic leverage of this workforce and signals potential for more organised labour movements in India's gig economy sector in the future.
