Patna: Delivery workers in Patna staged a one-day strike on Tuesday, responding to a call from the Gig Workers Association (GIGWA) and the Amazon India Workers Union. Thousands of gig workers from platforms such as Swiggy, Zomato, and Amazon took part, disrupting services across major areas including Boring Road, Pataliputra, Saguna Mor, and Kankarbagh.
Despite efforts by companies to prevent the strike, delivery workers remained firm. Zomato reportedly offered Rs 2,500 in earnings and a Rs 300 incentive, while Swiggy provided a Rs 275 bonus. Nevertheless, food delivery and e-commerce services were significantly affected, with many users seeing “Delivery not available” messages on apps throughout the day.
The protesting workers gathered at Birsa Munda Chowk in Gardanibagh, demanding a fixed rate card with minimum wages for gig workers, biannual rate adjustments in line with inflation, access to Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) and Provident Fund (PF), and legal protection in case of accidents. They also called for gig workers to be granted employee status and urged the government to establish a tripartite board including representatives from companies, gig workers’ associations, and the state.
Abhishek Kumar, Bihar in-charge of GIGWA, alleged that companies attempted to suppress the strike using police intervention and threats, but workers remained steadfast. Dharmendra Kumar, National President of the Amazon India Workers Union, described the strike as “historic,” citing Article 19 of the Constitution, which guarantees workers the right to unionize.
