Goyal notes that over 4.5 lakh delivery partners across both platforms delivered more than 75 lakh orders to over 63 lakh customers during the day
After the calls for nationwide strike by gig workers on the New Year’s Eve (NYE) raised concerns over the deliveries of the food delivery and quick commerce companies, Deepinder Goyal, Founder of Eternal has stated that Zomato and Blinkit delivered at a record pace on NYE, unaffected by the strikes.
Support from local law enforcement helped keep the small number of miscreants in check, enabling over 4.5 lakh delivery partners across both platforms to deliver more than 75 lakh orders to over 63 lakh customers during the day, he wrote in a LinkedIn post.
“This happened without any additional incentives for delivery partners, NYE does see higher incentives than usual days and yesterday was no different than the past NYE days. I am grateful to local authorities across the country and to our teams on the ground for clear enforcement and swift coordination. Most importantly, thank you to our delivery partners who showed up despite intimidation, stood their ground, and chose honest work and progress, Goyal wrote in his post.
Reflecting on the strikes by the delivery workers, Goyal noted that if a system were fundamentally unfair, it would not consistently attract and retain so many people who choose to work within it. “Please do not get swept up by narratives pushed by vested interests,” he added.
“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 pointed out.
Organised by the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) and the Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT), the strikes saw workers demand changes to compensation structure and fair working conditions.
One such demand includes the call for proper platform management practices, as the workers are protesting against the arbitrary blocking of IDs without prior notices. Workers are demanding the establishment of transparent pay structures that takes into consideration the actual distance travelled and time spent on tasks, as per the reports.
