App-based gig workers observe Christmas Day strike over pay and work conditions

By A Representative

App-based gig and platform workers across the country observed a nationwide strike on Christmas Day following a call by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU), a women-led trade union representing workers in the platform economy. Workers associated with ride-hailing, delivery and home-service platforms, including , and others, refrained from accepting rides and orders as part of the protest, seeking , regulated working hours and recognition of .

According to the union, the strike was organised to highlight what it described as declining earnings and worsening working conditions in the . GIPSWU has demanded that platform companies ensure income security at least equivalent to statutory minimum wages. Among its key demands is a minimum per-kilometre rate of not less than Rs 20 for ride-hailing drivers, calculated after commissions and fuel costs. The union has also called for an eight-hour working day, overtime payments beyond prescribed hours, and safeguards against what it terms arbitrary deactivations, ID blocking and penalty systems.

Union representatives said that current algorithm-driven payment structures do not adequately account for waiting time, fuel price increases and vehicle maintenance expenses, making it difficult for workers to sustain themselves. They alleged that workers’ IDs are frequently blocked or deactivated without prior notice or due process, particularly when ratings fall or when workers raise concerns, effectively cutting off their source of income.

GIPSWU reiterated its demand that gig and platform workers be recognised as workers under existing labour laws, with access to minimum wages and social security benefits such as health insurance, and pensions. The union also highlighted the challenges faced by women gig workers, particularly in beauty and home services, citing safety concerns, gender-based violence, lack of maternity support and instances of sudden ID deactivation.

The Christmas Day strike follows the union’s nationwide “” held on on October 31, 2024, when gig workers switched off their phones and protested through what was described as digital silence. During that action, workers used social media platforms to raise issues related to ratings, harassment, deactivations and the absence of collective bargaining rights.

In a statement, the union said that despite repeated assurances by platform companies about empowering workers, per-task payments have continued to decline, while rating thresholds and automated assignment systems have become more stringent. It also criticised what it described as opaque mechanisms for blocking worker IDs.

Appealing for wider support, GIPSWU called on the Union and state governments to fix and enforce fair minimum rates for gig work and to penalise non-compliant companies. It also urged platform companies to establish transparent grievance redressal mechanisms and restore IDs blocked without due process. The union appealed to the public to express solidarity by limiting use of platform services on the day of the strike and amplifying workers’ concerns through social media.

Comments

Plastic burning in homes threatens food, water and air across Global South: Study

By Jag Jivan In a groundbreaking study spanning 26 countries across the Global South , researchers have uncovered the widespread and concerning practice of households burning plastic waste as a fuel for cooking, heating, and other domestic needs. The research, published in Nature Communications , reveals that this hazardous method of managing both waste and energy poverty is driven by systemic failures in municipal services and the unaffordability of clean alternatives, posing severe risks to human health and the environment.

Economic superpower’s social failure? Inequality, malnutrition and crisis of India's democracy

By Vikas Meshram India may be celebrated as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, but a closer look at who benefits from that growth tells a starkly different story. The recently released World Inequality Report 2026 lays bare a country sharply divided by wealth, privilege and power. According to the report, nearly 65 percent of India’s total wealth is owned by the richest 10 percent of its population, while the bottom half of the country controls barely 6.4 percent. The top one percent—around 14 million people—holds more than 40 percent, the highest concentration since 1961. Meanwhile, the female labour force participation rate is a dismal 15.7 percent.

The greatest threat to our food system: The aggressive push for GM crops

By Bharat Dogra Thanks to the courageous resistance of several leading scientists who continue to speak the truth despite increasing pressures from the powerful GM crop and GM food lobby , the many-sided and in some contexts irreversible environmental and health impacts of GM foods and crops, as well as the highly disruptive effects of this technology on farmers, are widely known today.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra* The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.

'Restructuring' Sahitya Akademi: Is the ‘Gujarat model’ reaching Delhi?

By Prakash N. Shah* A fortnight and a few days have slipped past that grim event. It was as if the wedding preparations were complete and the groom’s face was about to be unveiled behind the ceremonial tinsel. At 3 PM on December 18, a press conference was poised to announce the Sahitya Akademi Awards .

The war on junk food: Why India must adopt global warning labels

By Jag Jivan The global health landscape is witnessing a decisive shift toward aggressive regulation of the food industry, a movement highlighted by two significant policy developments shared by Dr. Arun Gupta of the Nutrition Advocacy for Public Interest (NAPi).

The illusion of nuclear abundance: Why NTPC’s expansion demands public scrutiny

By Shankar Sharma* The recent news that NTPC is scouting 30 potential sites across India for a massive nuclear power expansion should be a wake-up call for every citizen. While the state-owned utility frames this as a bold stride toward a 100,000 MW nuclear capacity by 2047, a cold look at India’s nuclear saga over the last few decades suggests this ambition may be more illusory than achievable. More importantly, it carries implications that could fundamentally alter the safety, environment, and economic health of our communities.

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

Search This Blog