Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal, on Thursday, January 1, called delivery staff who went on strike on New Year’s Eve to demand workers’ rights as “miscreants,” facing flak from gig worker unions.
In a post on X, Goyal said Zomato and Blinkit were “unaffected by calls for strikes that many of us heard over the past few days.” He said local law enforcement helped keep the “small number of miscreants in check,” and over 4.5 lakh gig workers were able to deliver more than 75 lakh orders to over 63 lakh customers.
The Telangana Gig and Platform Workers’ Union (TGPWU), which was part of the organised nationwide protests, called Goyal’s tweet “an old tactic used when uncomfortable truths are raised,” dismissing his claims of union-led violence.
What triggered the protests
Gig and platform workers on December 24 had announced a two-day, all-India strike on Christmas (December 25) and New Year’s Eve (December 31), two of the busiest days of the year for delivery workers, to protest against worsening work conditions.
The strike was called to protest the denial of fair wages, safety, dignity and social security of delivery workers. The gig workers demanded fair and better pay through transparent wage structures and incentives reflecting real working hours and costs. They also demanded that the arbitrary blocking of IDs and penalties without due process be stopped and they receive improved safety measures, including safety gear and accident insurance.
The striking workers also demanded a ban on 10-minute deliveries, which they asserted included fast-paced driving to complete a delivery under the 10-minute window, putting their lives in danger.
In Hyderabad, about 50,000 of the total 2 lakh gig workers participated in the strike on December 3, TGPWU president Shaik Salauddin had said.
It should be noted that Zomato and Swiggy announced more incentives to their delivery partners to ensure minimal disruptions in services on New Year’s Eve amid a strike call by gig workers’ unions.
‘Narratives pushed by vested interest’
The Zomato founder, on the other hand, said, “The gig economy is one of India’s largest organised job creation engines, and its real impact will compound over time, when delivery partners’ children, supported by stable incomes and education, enter the workforce and help transform our country at scale.”
He added that if a system were “fundamentally unfair, it would not consistently attract and retain so many people who choose to work within it. Please don’t get swept up by narratives pushed by vested interests.”
Goyal said the number of deliveries surpassed records on New Year’s Eve, the day of the strike. In another tweet, he reiterated his stance. “The 0.1% miscreants were illegally snatching parcels from those who wanted to work, beating them up, and threatening to damage their bikes. Which is why local law authorities had to intervene on their own,” he alleged.
The TGPWU lashed out, saying that when workers demand dignity, they are labelled criminals. “When companies deny rights, it’s called ‘innovation’. India deserves fair laws for gig workers — not fear, defamation, or divide-and-rule,” the union posted.
In another post, the TGPWU said, “Record deliveries don’t prove fairness—only desperation. 75 lakh orders were delivered because workers cannot afford to log out, not because the system treats them justly.”
Seema Singh, the president of the Gig and Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) – the first women gig workers-led union – called reports of record high deliveries a “lie and slap in the face.”
“Companies make a mockery of our brave stand, laughing while we bleed for their millions in profits,” the union president said in a statement.
Social media erupts, calls Goyal ‘tone deaf’
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha said that it was tragic that millions of delivery riders, who helped build instant-commerce companies into what they are today, are now forced to protest just to be heard.
“These platforms didn’t succeed because of algorithms alone. They succeeded because of human sweat and labour. It’s time companies start treating riders as human beings, not disposable data points,” he said.
Journalist Sanket Upadhyay said Goyal and businesspeople like him learnt “gaslighting” from politicians. “To call protesting gig workers miscreants is a classic othering move,” he said in a post on X.
Director of Tata Memorial Hospital Pramesh CS called the Zomato founder “tone deaf.” “Desperation for a paying job doesn’t equal willing consent. Nobody, yes, nobody needs 10 minute delivery that risks lives,” Pramesh wrote.
