Nationwide Gig Workers’ Strike Exposes Dark Side Of India’s Convenience Economy

As the nation prepares to welcome the New Year with celebration and hope, thousands of India’s gig workers are spending the day on the streets, fighting for survival rather than festivities. Delivery partners from platforms such as Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit, Zepto and Amazon have launched a nationwide strike, demanding fair wages, reasonable working hours, an end to unsafe 10-minute delivery targets, and access to basic social security. From Delhi to Hyderabad, workers say they are being pushed to physical and mental limits, forced to prioritise speed over safety in an increasingly competitive gig economy. Despite the scale of the protest, many workers continue to deliver, not out of choice, but necessity. With platforms offering higher incentives to offset the strike, the question remains: will India finally address the plight of the invisible workforce powering its convenience, or will their struggle for dignity continue into 2026?