Gig Workers Protest for Fair Treatment Amid Industry Growth

On January 1, 2026, over 100,000 gig workers across India took part in a nationwide protest, disrupting operations in the rapidly growing doorstep-delivery economy. This strike highlighted ongoing concerns over working conditions and pay in a sector that has seen significant expansion but lacks adequate protections for its workforce.

Concerns Over Working Conditions

The protest coincided with the release of draft rules for new labour codes by the Indian Centre in November 2025, aimed at providing social security for gig workers. While these measures are intended to improve conditions, issues such as long work hours and declining pay remain largely unaddressed. Gig workers often find themselves working between 12 and 14 hours a day, only to see their income per delivery decrease due to rising platform commissions and increasing operational costs.

Fuel prices have surged, and workers face penalties for delayed deliveries, which further exacerbates their economic vulnerability. A proposed minimum monthly wage could offer much-needed stability, a model successfully implemented by several online retailers in neighbouring countries.

The Demand for Speed

One of the most pressing issues raised by the workers is the expectation for ultra-fast delivery. Indian consumers increasingly demand their groceries within 10 minutes, a timeline that is virtually unheard of in other parts of the world where delivery times average between 15 and 30 minutes. This cultural shift towards speed comes at the expense of the workers, who must navigate traffic and pollution to meet these unrealistic expectations.

A professor discussing the gig economy questioned the virtue of such quick service, suggesting that these demands reflect false values. The irony is stark: while technology has advanced, offering rapid delivery options, the human effort behind these services remains largely invisible. Workers race against the clock to deliver items, often facing stress and pressure to meet performance metrics, with little regard for their safety.

Though delays do not incur direct penalties, the pressure to deliver quickly significantly impacts their earnings and job satisfaction. In many cases, the workers are evaluated solely based on speed, with little consideration for the complexities of their environment, such as slow lifts in gated communities or delays in permissions.

Automation and Worker Rights

Another critical concern involves the lack of human interaction in the gig economy. Workers are onboarded and managed entirely through apps, lacking direct communication with supervisors. This impersonal approach becomes particularly problematic when workers encounter grievances, as they often find themselves dealing with ineffective AI-based customer support rather than human representatives.

“An entire professional life cycle of a gig worker can be over without ever having a conversation with a human supervisor,” noted a researcher on the topic.

In contrast, other nations have taken steps to address similar challenges in the gig economy. For instance, in 2021, China extended local minimum wage rights to platform workers, while the European Union has mandated human oversight of automated decision-making processes as part of its regulations set for 2024. In Spain, a food delivery platform’s agreement with worker unions guarantees a nine-hour workday, fixed annual wages, and paid rest days.

Despite recent legislative efforts in states like Rajasthan and Karnataka to improve conditions for gig workers, the situation remains largely unchanged. Legislation in Telangana and Jharkhand is still in the draft stage, and many workers continue to face the same cycle of declining pay and demanding deadlines.

The promise of creating millions of jobs in the gig economy rings hollow if the quality of those jobs does not improve. Without addressing the fundamental issues of pay, working conditions, and worker rights, the narrative of growth is incomplete. As the gig economy continues to thrive, the need for meaningful reform is more urgent than ever.