Several gig workers protested on New Year’s Eve to demand assured minimum pay and safer, fairer working conditions from ultra-fast delivery platforms.
Delivery riders linked to quick commerce and food delivery
apps such as Swiggy, Zomato, Zepto, Blinkit, Amazon, and Flipkart are officially labelled as “partners” rather than employees. This classification means they are paid per delivery, with no guaranteed wages or employment benefits.
Two days after the protest, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal took to X and shared videos where delivery partners were allegedly stopped from working and even verbally and physically abused while they were on their way to deliver orders.
“I am all for peaceful protests against anything and everything. But violent protests and stopping others who want to work from working is not okay (proof attached). Here’s what we know – a number of these protestors were not even our delivery partners. They were agents of political interests, piggybacking on the narrative to gain political mileage,” wrote Goyal on X.
Meanwhile, Goyal has been actively posting from his X handle and responding to the social media users. In another post, he explained how this 10 minutes delivery works.
He said that the 10-minute delivery promise isn’t about pushing riders to rush, but about smart system design. According to him, Blinkit relies on a dense network of nearby stores—orders are packed in about 2.5 minutes, and riders typically travel under 2 km at an average speed of around 15 kmph. Riders don’t even see a countdown timer, he adds.
I am all for peaceful protests against anything and everything. But violent protests and stopping others who want to work from working is not okay (proof attached).
Here’s what we know – a number of these protestors were not even our delivery partners. They were agents of… https://t.co/hqTw9iKRzI pic.twitter.com/VS86Y8WRhm
— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) January 2, 2026
Goyal acknowledges why people worry about safety, but says the reality is more nuanced than social media suggests. He argues that many delivery partners choose platform work willingly and are candid about why it works for them. While admitting no system is perfect and improvements are needed, he maintains that the narrative of widespread exploitation doesn’t reflect how the system actually operates.
Centre Drafts Rules For Gig Workers
Amid the row, the Centre has proposed new rules under the Social Security Code aimed at bringing gig and platform workers under a formal welfare net, marking a major step towards recognising and protecting this growing workforce.
The draft framework will allow gig and platform workers eligible for social security benefits once they complete at least 90 days of work, offering them access to basic protections that were earlier not available to them.
