India's gig workers: Pay, dignity, and safety demands

Calling for “fair pay, dignity, and safety,” more than 2,00,000 platform-based delivery workers went on strike on New Year’s Eve. The workers demanded an immediate ban on the 10-minute delivery promise made by platforms, reinforced by automated systems that penalised delivery workers and reduced their ratings when delays occurred. Citing the gig economy as one of India’s “largest organised job creation engines,” Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal indicated that “if the system were fundamentally unfair, it would not consistently attract and retain so many people who choose to work within it.” He also warned that banning or excessively regulating gig work could drive workers back into informal jobs with even fewer safeguards. While workers’ accounts emphasise low and unpredictable pay, long and exhausting workdays, algorithmic surveillance, and absence of basic labour protections, platform executives highlight flexibility, rising earnings, and the freedom for workers to choose when and how much