New Year’s Eve : Zomato, Swiggy Hike Gig Workers’ Payout Amid Strike Call

31st December 2025 at 3:31 PM

1 minute read

Food delivery platforms Swiggy and Zomato have raised delivery incentives during peak hours and year-end days as they look to stabilise operations amid an ongoing nationwide strike by gig and platform workers.

New Delhi : Food delivery platforms Swiggy and Zomato have raised delivery incentives during peak hours and year-end days as they look to stabilise operations amid an ongoing nationwide strike by gig and platform workers. The rise in incentives comes ahead of New Year’s Eve, one of the busiest days for food delivery and online orders, when worker unions have called for fresh protests. The incentive push follows strike calls by delivery worker unions on December 25 and December 31.

Zomato has offered higher payouts to delivery partners during peak evening hours, according to messages sent to workers and people familiar with the matter. The platform is offering payouts of around Rs 120 to Rs 150 per order between 6 pm and 12 am, a time window that usually sees the highest order volumes. Zomato is promising delivery partners earnings of up to Rs 3,000 over the course of the day. These earnings are linked to order volumes and rider availability. The platform has also temporarily waived penalties on order denials and cancellations. Delivery workers say this reduces the risk of income loss during periods when orders may fluctuate or cluster unevenly.

Swiggy is offering delivery workers earnings of up to Rs 10,000 across December 31 and January 1 combined. For New Year’s Eve specifically, Swiggy is advertising peak-hour earnings of up to Rs 2,000 between 6 pm and 12 am. The platform appears to be focusing on rider availability during late evening hours, which typically see a surge in food orders as people celebrate at home.
Industry sources told Moneycontrol that Zepto has increased incentives for delivery workers during the strike period and the year-end demand surge.

Worker unions, including the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers and regional collectives, have accused platforms of pushing workers to deliver more orders for falling earnings, while offering little job security or social protection. A nationwide flash strike on December 25 led to brief and localised disruptions, especially in food delivery services. While platforms said operations stabilised later in the day, worker unions claimed wider participation and impact than officially acknowledged.