Zomato's Deepinder Goyal trying to save himself, many questions still unanswered: Gig workers union

New Delhi [India], January 3 (ANI): Shaik Salauddin Founder President, Telangana Gig & Platform Workers' Union (TGPWU) on Saturday alleged, "the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zomato, Deepinder Goyal is trying to save himself, and at an organizational level, he has come under pressure."
"Goyal's response on the crisis through his posts on social media platform X (formerly twitter) helped the common masses to understand what was going on internally. However, many of our questions still remained unanswered," he said.
He said the CEOs of the food delivery apps, and the gig workers can come and sit together to discuss what is right and what went wrong to close the matter.
"Even after the repeated threats from the CEOs, the gig workers continued the peaceful strikes resulting in delays in 60% of orders," he added.
"If the problems are not resolved, then let me tell you, this was just a teaser, more it yet to come," he said.
"10-minute delivery is a mental, and physical stress for all the delivery boys. This should be removed immediately," he said.
Notably, Zomato's Deepinder Goyal has reiterated his position after a purported strike call by certain gig workers brought the gig-model into the spotlight.
According to Goyal, average hourly earnings for delivery partners at Zomato increased by approximately 10.9 per cent year-on-year in 2025, reaching Rs 102 compared to Rs 92 in 2024, according to data shared by him . The figures, which exclude tips, reflect a steady growth in earnings over a longer horizon for the gig workforce.
Goyal on X shared the financial structure of the gig model. He noted that if a partner works for 10 hours a day for 26 days a month, the gross earnings translate to approximately Rs 26,500.
After accounting for roughly 20 per cent in fuel and maintenance costs, net earnings stand at about Rs 21,000 per month. These calculations are based on total logged-in hours, including waiting time.Goyal highlighted the flexible nature of the work, with the average delivery partner on Zomato working 38 days in 2025 and averaging seven hours per working day.
Only 2.3 per cent of partners worked more than 250 days during the year.
Goyal stated that "demanding full-time employee benefits like PF, or guaranteed salaries for gig roles doesn't align with what the model is built for," adding that the system provides a "flexible, stop-gap earning option" rather than a long-term lock-in.
Addressing safety concerns regarding quick commerce, Goyal clarified that 10-minute delivery promises do not pressure workers to drive unsafely. Delivery partners are not shown customer-facing time promises or countdown timers. The speed of delivery is attributed to store proximity rather than road speed. In 2025, the average distance per Blinkit order was 2.03 km with an average driving speed of 16 km/h, while Zomato saw average speeds of 21 km/h.
According to Goyal, Zomato and Blinkit spent over Rs 100 crore on insurance premiums for partners in 2025. This includes accident insurance up to Rs 10 lakh, medical coverage of Rs 1 lakh, and loss of pay insurance.
Additional support includes two period rest days per month for women, income tax filing assistance for 95,000 partners, and National Pension Scheme enrollment for 54,000 workers.
Goyal emphasized that partners have the freedom to choose their work areas and log-in times without assigned shifts or geographies. He characterized the platform as offering a reliable source of secondary income with zero barriers to entry.
"Flexibility isn't incidental to the gig model, it is the whole point," he stated, "Now tell me, is this unfair? Especially for an unskilled job, which is largely part time, and has zero barriers to entry."
Earlier, prominent investor and Naukri.com founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani weighed into the debate on gig workers praising Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal's comments on the one-day gig workers' strike while taking an indirect jab at those alleging that these workers were being exploited.
In response to Goyal's post on X, Bikhchandani wrote, "Very well written Deepinder Goyal. Every word is true. If beggars belief that a Champagne Socialist who married a film star and had a designer wedding in Udaipur and a first wedding anniversary in Maldives has the audacity to then shed crocodile tears around alleged exploitation of gig workers. Aam Aadmi my foot," the 'X' post said. (ANI)