Food delivery giants Zomato and Swiggy have rolled out enhanced financial incentives for their delivery partners on New Year's Eve, labeling it a standard festive season practice. This move comes even as gig workers' unions are pushing forward with plans for a nationwide strike on December 31, 2025, to demand improved payouts and working conditions.
Festive Incentives from Delivery Platforms
In response to the anticipated surge in demand, both platforms have announced special earnings schemes for their delivery executives. Zomato is offering payouts ranging from Rs 120 to Rs 150 per order during the peak evening hours of 6 pm to 12 am on New Year's Eve. According to sources, partners have the potential to earn up to Rs 3,000 throughout the day, depending on order volumes and availability. The company has also temporarily removed penalties for order denials and cancellations.
A spokesperson for Eternal, which owns Zomato and Blinkit, stated that this is part of their regular annual protocol for festive periods, which naturally present higher earning opportunities due to increased customer demand.
Similarly, Swiggy has introduced elevated incentives for the year-end rush. Sources indicate that delivery partners can earn up to Rs 10,000 cumulatively across December 31 and January 1. Specifically for New Year's Eve, Swiggy is advertising peak-hour earnings of up to Rs 2,000 for the critical six-hour window from 6 pm to midnight, when order volumes traditionally peak.
Nationwide Strike Call by Gig Workers
This incentive push unfolds against the backdrop of a planned nationwide strike organized by gig workers' unions. Key organizations like the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers’ Union (TGPWU) and the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) have called for the work stoppage. Their demands center on better pay, safer working conditions, and greater dignity at work.
In a joint statement, the unions claimed that over 1.7 lakh (170,000) delivery and app-based workers across India had confirmed participation by the night before, with numbers expected to grow. They warned that the strike could significantly disrupt operations for major food delivery and quick-commerce companies, including Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, Instamart, and Zepto, on one of their busiest days of the year.
The December 31 strike follows a prior protest on December 25, where thousands of workers logged off platforms in Telangana and other regions. The unions accused platform companies of responding with "silence" to their earlier warnings about falling earnings, unsafe delivery pressures, and loss of dignity, making the current strike "unavoidable."
Core Demands and Government Response
TGPWU president Shaik Salauddin highlighted that the fast-delivery model and changes to payment systems have intensified pressure while reducing earnings. He outlined five key demands, including the reinstatement of older, more favorable payout structures that were active during festivals like Dussehra, Diwali, and Bakrid. The unions are also demanding the removal of the 10-minute delivery option from all platforms.
"We are ready to discuss and talk about it. We request the state and central government also to interfere in this," Salauddin told ANI.
In a related development, Telangana Labour Minister Vivek Venkatswamy announced that the state government has approved the Gig and Platform Workers Welfare Bill, 2025. In a video message, he acknowledged the struggles of gig workers, stating that their income has declined while work pressure has increased, exacerbated by aggressive practices like the 10-minute delivery system.
The stage is now set for a high-stakes clash between the operational needs of multi-billion dollar platforms and the fundamental demands of the gig workforce that powers them, all playing out on one of the most lucrative nights of the year.
