‘No Zomato, No Swiggy today?’: Gig workers union announces 5-hour nationwide strike amid higher fuel rates

The Gig and Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) has called for a five-hour shutdown of app-based delivery and transportation services today from 12 noon to 5 PM, in protest against the sharp hike in petrol and diesel prices announced on May 15, 2026.

The union has also submitted memorandums to the Government of India and to major digital platforms demanding an immediate increase in per-kilometre payment rates for workers.

The shutdown call means that delivery workers associated with platforms like Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, Zepto, Ola, Uber, Rapido, Porter, Amazon Flex, Dunzo, Urban Company, and Instamart have been urged to stop accepting orders during the five-hour window.

What triggered the protest

Oil marketing companies raised petrol and diesel prices by approximately Rs 3 per litre on May 15, 2026, in what is being described as the first major nationwide retail fuel price hike in nearly four years.

Following the revision, petrol in Delhi costs approximately Rs 97.77 per litre and diesel around Rs 90.67 per litre.

The price increase is linked to rising international crude oil prices driven by ongoing conflict and instability in West Asia, particularly tensions involving Iran and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz. This comes on top of an earlier increase in LPG cylinder prices, which had already added to the financial burden on working-class households and gig workers alike.

Union President Seema Singh described the fuel hike as a direct blow to workers who are already dealing with extreme heat conditions.

"Delivery workers associated with companies such as Swiggy, Zomato and Blinkit will not be able to bear the impact of rising petrol and diesel prices during the ongoing severe heatwave conditions," she said.

Singh urged both the government and the platforms to step forward and declare a minimum service rate of Rs 20 per kilometre, warning that without any relief, many workers may be forced to leave the sector entirely.

National Coordinator Nirmal Gorana put the scale of the problem in context. Of the nearly 60 crore workers in India's unorganised sector, around 1.2 crore are gig and platform workers. A large number of these workers are entirely dependent on motorcycles and scooters to earn their daily income, which means every increase in fuel prices directly cuts into what they take home at the end of the day.

"Every increase in petrol and diesel prices directly affects the daily earnings of women gig workers, delivery workers and drivers because expenditure on fuel, vehicle maintenance, servicing and transportation immediately increases while companies do not proportionately revise their payment structures," Gorana said.

Workers for app-based companies typically travel long distances each day to fulfil delivery and transportation assignments, with many logging between 10 and 14 hours in difficult weather and heavy traffic.

Despite this, the union said several platforms have not revised their per-kilometre compensation in line with rising operational costs.

According to estimates published by NITI Aayog, India had approximately 77 lakh gig workers in 2020-21. That number is projected to grow to around 2.35 crore by 2029-30. A substantial portion of this workforce is engaged in app-based food delivery, grocery delivery, logistics, ride-hailing, and other digital platform services, making them directly exposed to fuel price changes.

GIPSWU noted that gig workers have long been demanding a central law that specifically protects their rights and provides them with a stable income framework. In the absence of such a law, the union says, fuel price hikes fall entirely on the workers with no mechanism to recover the additional cost.

GIPSWU has submitted a memorandum to the Government of India asking it to issue appropriate directions to app-based and digital platform companies for revision and increase of delivery charges and kilometre-based payment rates, so that the full burden of rising fuel costs does not fall on workers alone.

Separate memorandums have been submitted directly to Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, Zepto, Dunzo, Urban Company, Ola, Uber, Rapido, Porter, Amazon Flex, Instamart, and other digital platform companies seeking immediate revision of payment structures, an increase in kilometre-based delivery rates, and reasonable compensation for rising fuel expenses.