Why is everyone suddenly talking about the gig economy?
Because New Year’s Eve showed how it really works behind the app.
A deep dive by CA Medha Arnal and Rudra Rai
Gig unions called for a nationwide strike on NYE against Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit, etc. Demands were simple:
- Higher base pay
- Safer conditions (no insane 10-minute pressure)
- Social security, insurance, protection from arbitrary penalties
On X/Instagram, it looked huge. On the road? Most riders still logged in.
Why? Because the incentives were too hard to walk away from.
Zomato told partners they could make around ₹120–150 per order in peak evening slots, with potential to earn ~₹3,000 in a day and no penalties for cancelling or refusing some orders.
Swiggy said riders could earn up to ₹10,000 across 31 Dec + 1 Jan, with up to ₹2,000 in a single busy evening.
When your usual base pay has slid from ~₹60 per order to ~₹40 to as low as ₹15, that one-night “boost” feels like oxygen.
One rider put it simply:
For a lot of workers, a whole week still comes to just ₹5,000–8,000.
Meanwhile, Deepinder Goyal said Zomato + Blinkit hit record numbers:
- 75 lakh+ orders
- 4.5 lakh+ delivery partners
- Operations “unaffected” by the strike
- The gig economy is a massive job creator
- If the system were truly unfair, people wouldn’t keep joining
- No system is perfect, but they’re improving it
- One festive-night payout ≠ solution
- Payouts are falling, costs (fuel, vehicles) rising
- 10-minute delivery + ratings + penalties = constant stress
- They want stable, fair pay and real safety, not just PR and one-day bonuses
Every time we tap “order now”, we’re part of this equation - between our convenience, platform profits, and whether the person at our door can actually build a dignified living.
Source: Livemint, Business Standard