The union appeals to the public and governments to show solidarity with workers facing what it described as ‘exploitative and opaque’ working conditions
NEW DELHI — App-based gig workers across India observed a nationwide strike on Christmas Day in response to a call by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU), demanding income security, regulated working hours and recognition of basic labour rights in the rapidly expanding platform economy.
GIPSWU, India’s first women-led trade union of gig and platform workers, said drivers and delivery workers associated with ride-hailing, food delivery and home-service platforms—including Swiggy, Zepto and others—refused to accept rides and orders for the day to press their demands. The union appealed to the public and governments to show solidarity with workers facing what it described as “exploitative and opaque” working conditions.
At the core of the union’s demands is a guaranteed income at least equivalent to statutory minimum wages. GIPSWU has sought a fair per-kilometre rate of not less than ₹20 for ride-hailing drivers, calculated after deducting platform commissions and fuel costs. It has also called for an eight-hour workday, overtime pay beyond prescribed hours, and an end to arbitrary ID deactivations and penalty systems that, it says, compel workers to log excessively long hours without rest.
Union leaders argued that algorithmically fixed rates fail to account for waiting time, rising fuel prices and vehicle maintenance costs, pushing workers into debt. They also alleged that workers who receive poor ratings or raise concerns about working conditions often face sudden ID blocking without notice or due process, effectively terminating their livelihoods overnight.
The union reiterated its demand that gig workers be formally recognised as workers under labour laws, with access to minimum wages and social security benefits such as health insurance, maternity benefits and pensions.
The Christmas Day action follows GIPSWU’s nationwide “Digital Strike” on Diwali last year, when gig workers switched off their phones and observed what the union termed “digital silence” to protest misclassification and harassment in the platform economy. During that protest, workers highlighted discriminatory ratings, arbitrary ID deactivations and instances of violence, while demanding regulation of gig work and the right to unionise and bargain collectively.
GIPSWU said that despite repeated claims by platform companies of “empowering” gig workers, per-task payments have continued to fall, rating thresholds have tightened and auto-assignment systems have further reduced workers’ control over their labour. The union flagged particular vulnerabilities faced by women gig workers in beauty and home services, including unsafe working conditions, gender-based violence, denial of maternity support and arbitrary ID blocking.
“Platform companies advertise freedom and flexibility, but in reality impose slavery-like conditions through apps, ratings and ID blocking,” a GIPSWU leader said, referring to recent protests by women workers against new policies in the home-services sector and ongoing disputes by drivers over per-kilometre rates. “This Christmas, gig workers are asking for dignity, not charity—fair wages, an eight-hour workday and protection from arbitrary deactivation.”
The union urged the Centre and state governments to fix and enforce minimum rates, warned of penalties for non-compliance by platforms, and appealed to the public to support the strike by limiting use of app-based services for the day and amplifying workers’ voices on social media.
