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One-day gig workers strike hits food delivery across Maharashtra

The strike, called by the Gig Workers Union and supported by several labour organisations, including the Indian Labour Federation, Ajan India Workers Union, Janpahal General Workers Union, and the Platform App-Based and Other Commerce Workers Union, was confined to Maharashtra.

2 min readPuneUpdated: Dec 26, 2025 09:45 AM IST

Around 60,000–70,000 delivery riders skipped work across major Maharashtra cities, said Gig Workers Union’s Dr Laxman Aare.

Written By Rohit Yadav

Food delivery services across major cities in Maharashtra were disrupted on Christmas Day as nearly half of the state’s gig workforce observed a one-day strike protesting what they allege are “inhumane workplace practices.”

According to Dr. Laxman Aare, general secretary of the Gig Workers Union, an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 delivery riders from platforms such as Zomato and others refrained from work in cities including Mumbai, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Nagpur, Kolhapur, and Navi Mumbai.

“Nearly 50% of gig workers in the state heeded our call today,” said Aare on Wednesday evening. “This is a peaceful protest. We are not blocking roads or causing inconvenience to anyone. We’ve simply chosen not to turn up for work, that’s the most non-violent way to express our dissent.”

The strike, called by the Gig Workers Union and supported by several labour organisations, including the Indian Labour Federation, Ajan India Workers Union, Janpahal General Workers Union, and the Platform App-Based and Other Commerce Workers Union, was confined to Maharashtra.

Union coordinators reported widespread participation across districts. In Mumbai, Prashant and his team led the mobilisation, while riders in Pune, Kolhapur, Nagpur, and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar stayed off duty under the guidance of respective local representatives. “Our members abstained from logging in for deliveries all day, leading to several pending orders,” one union member said, adding that the company has yet to respond despite being tagged on social media platform X.

“This strike is not against customers or society,” Aare emphasised, quoting a rider’s slogan: “Hum apna kaam band kar rahe hain — unka kaam band nahin kar rahe.” (“We are stopping our work, not theirs.”)

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The protest marks one of the largest coordinated actions by gig workers in the state in recent months and comes amid growing concerns over low pay rates, safety issues, and lack of social security benefits.

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