Quick commerce platforms deployed surge incentives to counter a nationwide strike call by delivery worker unions on Tuesday, with operations remaining largely unaffected across major metros despite union claims of 1.5 lakh participants.
Industry executives FE spoke to said the strike resulted in heightened disruptions in some areas of Mumbai, and Hyderabad. However, these were stabilised through the course of the day. A ground check at multiple dark stores of Zepto, Instamart, Blinkit, and BigBasket in JP Nagar and Jayanagar areas of Bengaluru showed deliveries running normally.
“There is no strike here. Everyone is working,” said Nagesh, a delivery partner at a BigBasket dark store in JP Nagar. “Our team leaders told us clearly to stay away from any protests. They said it could result in ID blockage. It’s month-end. If they block our ID now, we lose the entire week’s earnings. We can’t take that risk.”
Payout Spikes vs. Algorithmic Control
A senior Blinkit executive told FE that increased incentives helped reduce strike intensity, while negotiations on implementing higher medical insurance helped realigned interests between workers and platforms. A Zomato executive said the platform faced no shortage of delivery partners in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai or Calcutta.
Blinkit offered payouts of Rs 120-150 per order between 6 pm and midnight on New Year’s Eve, with total earnings of up to Rs 3,000 depending on order volumes. The platform also temporarily waived penalties on order denials and cancellations, sources said. Zomato has also sent an internal notification to workers on Monday warning that blocking orders would lead to police complaints and claiming partners would face “no trouble” on December 31 if they avoided union meetings or protests.
Meanwhile, Swiggy’s Instamart increased incentives to up to Rs 10,000 across December 31 and January 1, with peak-hour earnings of up to Rs 2,000 for the six-hour period between 6 pm and midnight on New Year’s Eve, according to people aware of the development.
Workers app notifications reviewed by FE showed BigBasket offering surge incentives across six time slots: Rs 20 per order from 6-8 pm on December 31, Rs 30 from 8 pm to midnight, Rs 50 from midnight to 6 am on January 1, Rs 50 from 6-10 am, Rs 15 from 10 am-12 pm, and Rs 15 from 6-8 pm on January 1. Base pay on the platform stands at Rs 15 per order.
Zepto promised workers could earn up to Rs 3,500 on December 31: an extra Rs 10 per order during lunch (12-4 pm), Rs 30 during evening (4-6 pm), Rs 90 during dinner (6-10 pm), Rs 55 during late dinner (10-11:59 pm), and Rs 40 during late night (12-3:59 am). Workers needed to log in for 3.5 hours between 7 pm-11:59 pm or complete two peak hour slots to qualify. Base pay on the platform stands at Rs 25 per order.
Structural Squeeze
Kiran, a Zepto delivery partner in Bengaluru, pointed to a structural challenge. “In metro cities, most delivery workers are migrants willing to work for even Rs 300-400 per day. For them, any increase is a bonus. Strikes won’t work in this situation.”
The muted response contrasts sharply with union expectations. Shaik Salauddin, general secretary of the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT), had expected 150,000 workers to participate. “This is propaganda to dilute the strike rather than a genuine solution to long-standing issues of pay cuts and unsafe work pressure,” said Salauddin, who is also founder president of the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU).
The unions argue one-day incentive spikes don’t address structural earnings decline. FE had reported in November that per-order base rates fell to Rs 15-27 in high-density zones following fee waivers, down from Rs 22-30 in September and Rs 34-42 in early 2024. Workers said base payouts have recently dropped to Rs 10-15 for the same 4-km radius.