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A fresh debate over working conditions in India’s booming quick commerce sector reignited on Saturday, as a Telangana-based gig workers’ union criticised Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal’s defence of the company’s delivery model, describing current arrangements as “not decent work.”
The controversy follows a detailed post by Goyal on X, where he laid out how delivery partners earn on Zomato and Blinkit. According to him, “In 2025, average earnings per hour (EPH), excluding tips, for a delivery partner on Zomato were Rs 102. In 2024, this number was Rs 92—a 10.9 per cent year-on-year increase. Over a longer horizon, EPH has shown steady growth.”
Goyal also highlighted the flexible nature of the work. Delivery partners can choose their working hours, keep 100 per cent of customer tips, and are not pressured into unsafe driving to meet 10-minute delivery promises. The company has also rolled out welfare measures, including insurance coverage and pension support, he noted.
<blockquote>Delivery partners are not overworked on our platforms. (2/5)
In 2025, the average delivery partner on Zomato worked 38 days in the year and 7 hours per working day, reflecting true gig style participation rather than fixed schedules. Only 2.3% of partners worked more than 250…
— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/deepigoyal/status/2007122063484493853?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Despite these claims, gig workers’ representatives argue that the current pay and conditions fall short of providing stable and decent livelihoods, keeping the spotlight on the challenges faced by India’s fast-growing delivery workforce.
<h2>Deepinder Goyal trying to save himself?</h2>
However, the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Association (TGPWA) pushed back, arguing that on-ground realities for many riders are very different.
“Once expenses like fuel, vehicle maintenance and other costs are deducted, actual earnings drop to around Rs 81 per hour. A delivery partner working 10 hours a day for 26 days would earn roughly Rs 21,000 a month,” the union said.
The union also criticised the absence of paid leave, social security benefits, or guaranteed accident insurance, calling the current work setup “not decent work.” They further questioned Goyal’s emphasis on tips, noting that only about 5 per cent of Zomato orders include tips, limiting this extra income for most riders.
Shaik Salauddin, Founder President of TGPWU, said, “The CEO of Zomato, Deepinder Goyal, is trying to save himself, and at an organisational level, he has come under pressure. Goyal's response on the crisis through his posts on social media platform X helped the common masses to understand what was going on internally. However, many of our questions still remained unanswered. 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.”
Salauddin also highlighted ongoing worker protests, “Even after the repeated threats from the CEOs, the gig workers continued the peaceful strikes resulting in delays in 60 per cent of orders. If the problems are not resolved, then let me tell you, this was just a teaser, more is yet to come. 10-minute delivery is a mental and physical stress for all the delivery boys. This should be removed immediately.”
<h2>CEO Responds: Flexibility, Earnings, and Safety</h2>
Goyal reiterated that average hourly earnings for delivery partners increased by 10.9 per cent year-on-year, reaching Rs 102 in 2025. He explained that a partner working 10 hours a day for 26 days would gross about Rs 26,500, and after around 20 per cent expenses on fuel and maintenance, net earnings stand at roughly Rs 21,000. These calculations include total logged-in hours, including waiting time.
“Demanding full-time employee benefits like PF, or guaranteed salaries for gig roles doesn’t align with what the model is built for,” he said, calling the platform a “flexible, stop-gap earning option” rather than a traditional long-term job.
Addressing safety concerns, Goyal stated, “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.”
<blockquote>Quick commerce’s 10-minute promise DOES NOT put pressure on gig workers, and it DOESN’T lead to unsafe driving. Why? (3/5)
The most common concern is that faster delivery promises translate into pressure on delivery partners to drive unsafely. That isn’t how the system operates.…
— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/deepigoyal/status/2007122065501933710?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>He also highlighted welfare support: Zomato and Blinkit spent over Rs 100 crore on insurance premiums for partners, covering accident insurance up to Rs 10 lakh, medical coverage of Rs 1 lakh, and loss of pay insurance. Other benefits include two rest days per month for women, income tax filing assistance for 95,000 partners, and National Pension Scheme enrollment for 54,000 workers.
“Flexibility isn’t incidental to the gig model, it is the whole point,” Goyal said. “Now tell me, is this unfair? Especially for an unskilled job, which is largely part-time, and has zero barriers to entry.”
<h2>Zomato CEO on penalties, road safety and more</h2>
Goyal also responded to questions about road safety and incentives. On why delivery partners sometimes rush or break traffic rules, he said, “If our delivery partners were the only ones breaking traffic rules, I would take the blame. A large number of Indians are always in a rush and breaking traffic rules. What's their '10 minute' incentive to do that? Nothing. We are impatient on the road as a society. Let me explain why you usually only notice our delivery partners break traffic rules? Because they are wearing uniforms, and you have a bias against platforms to attribute their behaviour to. But when someone without a uniform breaks traffic rules, you usually don't remember it later, because you don't have a brand/platform to attribute it to.”
On the issue of penalties for late deliveries, Goyal clarified: “No penalties for late deliveries.”
The debate has drawn attention from industry leaders as well. Naukri.com founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani praised Goyal’s post, indirectly questioning claims of exploitation, “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,” Bikhchandani wrote on X.

A fresh debate over working conditions in India’s booming quick commerce sector reignited on Saturday, as a Telangana-based gig workers’ union criticised Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal’s defence of the company’s delivery model, describing current arrangements as “not decent work.”The controversy follows a detailed post by Goyal on X, where he laid out how delivery partners earn on Zomato and Blinkit. According to him, “In 2025, average earnings per hour (EPH), excluding tips, for a delivery partner on Zomato were Rs 102. In 2024, this number was Rs 92—a 10.9 per cent year-on-year increase. Over a longer horizon, EPH has shown steady growth.”Goyal also highlighted the flexible nature of the work. Delivery partners can choose their working hours, keep 100 per cent of customer tips, and are not pressured into unsafe driving to meet 10-minute delivery promises. The company has also rolled out welfare measures, including insurance coverage and pension support, he noted.Delivery partners are not overworked on our platforms. (2/5)In 2025, the average delivery partner on Zomato worked 38 days in the year and 7 hours per working day, reflecting true gig style participation rather than fixed schedules. Only 2.3% of partners worked more than 250…— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) January 2, 2026Despite these claims, gig workers’ representatives argue that the current pay and conditions fall short of providing stable and decent livelihoods, keeping the spotlight on the challenges faced by India’s fast-growing delivery workforce.Deepinder Goyal trying to save himself?However, the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Association (TGPWA) pushed back, arguing that on-ground realities for many riders are very different.“Once expenses like fuel, vehicle maintenance and other costs are deducted, actual earnings drop to around Rs 81 per hour. A delivery partner working 10 hours a day for 26 days would earn roughly Rs 21,000 a month,” the union said.The union also criticised the absence of paid leave, social security benefits, or guaranteed accident insurance, calling the current work setup “not decent work.” They further questioned Goyal’s emphasis on tips, noting that only about 5 per cent of Zomato orders include tips, limiting this extra income for most riders.Shaik Salauddin, Founder President of TGPWU, said, “The CEO of Zomato, Deepinder Goyal, is trying to save himself, and at an organisational level, he has come under pressure. Goyal's response on the crisis through his posts on social media platform X helped the common masses to understand what was going on internally. However, many of our questions still remained unanswered. 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.”Salauddin also highlighted ongoing worker protests, “Even after the repeated threats from the CEOs, the gig workers continued the peaceful strikes resulting in delays in 60 per cent of orders. If the problems are not resolved, then let me tell you, this was just a teaser, more is yet to come. 10-minute delivery is a mental and physical stress for all the delivery boys. This should be removed immediately.”CEO Responds: Flexibility, Earnings, and SafetyGoyal reiterated that average hourly earnings for delivery partners increased by 10.9 per cent year-on-year, reaching Rs 102 in 2025. He explained that a partner working 10 hours a day for 26 days would gross about Rs 26,500, and after around 20 per cent expenses on fuel and maintenance, net earnings stand at roughly Rs 21,000. These calculations include total logged-in hours, including waiting time.“Demanding full-time employee benefits like PF, or guaranteed salaries for gig roles doesn’t align with what the model is built for,” he said, calling the platform a “flexible, stop-gap earning option” rather than a traditional long-term job.Addressing safety concerns, Goyal stated, “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.”Quick commerce’s 10-minute promise DOES NOT put pressure on gig workers, and it DOESN’T lead to unsafe driving. Why? (3/5)The most common concern is that faster delivery promises translate into pressure on delivery partners to drive unsafely. That isn’t how the system operates.…— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) January 2, 2026He also highlighted welfare support: Zomato and Blinkit spent over Rs 100 crore on insurance premiums for partners, covering accident insurance up to Rs 10 lakh, medical coverage of Rs 1 lakh, and loss of pay insurance. Other benefits include two rest days per month for women, income tax filing assistance for 95,000 partners, and National Pension Scheme enrollment for 54,000 workers.“Flexibility isn’t incidental to the gig model, it is the whole point,” Goyal said. “Now tell me, is this unfair? Especially for an unskilled job, which is largely part-time, and has zero barriers to entry.”Zomato CEO on penalties, road safety and moreGoyal also responded to questions about road safety and incentives. On why delivery partners sometimes rush or break traffic rules, he said, “If our delivery partners were the only ones breaking traffic rules, I would take the blame. A large number of Indians are always in a rush and breaking traffic rules. What's their '10 minute' incentive to do that? Nothing. We are impatient on the road as a society. Let me explain why you usually only notice our delivery partners break traffic rules? Because they are wearing uniforms, and you have a bias against platforms to attribute their behaviour to. But when someone without a uniform breaks traffic rules, you usually don't remember it later, because you don't have a brand/platform to attribute it to.”On the issue of penalties for late deliveries, Goyal clarified: “No penalties for late deliveries.”The debate has drawn attention from industry leaders as well. Naukri.com founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani praised Goyal’s post, indirectly questioning claims of exploitation, “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,” Bikhchandani wrote on X.

Despite Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal's claims, gig workers’ representatives argue that current pay and conditions fall short of providing stable and decent livelihoods, keeping the spotlight on the challenges faced by India’s fast-growing delivery workforce.

Deepinder Goyal trying to save himself? Gig workers say Zomato pay ‘not decent work,’ reject CEO’s claims

news-deepinder-goyal-trying-to-save-himself-gig-workers-say-zomato-pay-not-decent-work-reject-ceo-s-claims-387082

A fresh debate over working conditions in India’s booming quick commerce sector reignited on Saturday, as a Telangana-based gig workers’ union criticised Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal’s defence of the company’s delivery model, describing current arrangements as “not decent work.” The controversy follows a detailed post by Goyal on X, where he laid out how delivery partners earn on Zomato and Blinkit. According to him, “In 2025, average earnings per hour (EPH), excluding tips, for a delivery partner on Zomato were Rs 102. In 2024, this number was Rs 92—a 10.9 per cent year-on-year increase. Over a longer horizon, EPH has shown steady growth.” Goyal also highlighted the flexible nature of the work. Delivery partners can choose their working hours, keep 100 per cent of customer tips, and are not pressured into unsafe driving to meet 10-minute delivery promises. The company has also rolled out welfare measures, including insurance coverage and pension support, he noted. Delivery partners are not overworked on our platforms. (2/5) In 2025, the average delivery partner on Zomato worked 38 days in the year and 7 hours per working day, reflecting true gig style participation rather than fixed schedules. Only 2.3% of partners worked more than 250… — Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) January 2, 2026 Despite these claims, gig workers’ representatives argue that the current pay and conditions fall short of providing stable and decent livelihoods, keeping the spotlight on the challenges faced by India’s fast-growing delivery workforce. Deepinder Goyal trying to save himself? However, the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Association (TGPWA) pushed back, arguing that on-ground realities for many riders are very different. “Once expenses like fuel, vehicle maintenance and other costs are deducted, actual earnings drop to around Rs 81 per hour. A delivery partner working 10 hours a day for 26 days would earn roughly Rs 21,000 a month,” the union said. The union also criticised the absence of paid leave, social security benefits, or guaranteed accident insurance, calling the current work setup “not decent work.” They further questioned Goyal’s emphasis on tips, noting that only about 5 per cent of Zomato orders include tips, limiting this extra income for most riders. Shaik Salauddin, Founder President of TGPWU, said, “The CEO of Zomato, Deepinder Goyal, is trying to save himself, and at an organisational level, he has come under pressure. Goyals response on the crisis through his posts on social media platform X helped the common masses to understand what was going on internally. However, many of our questions still remained unanswered. 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.” Salauddin also highlighted ongoing worker protests, “Even after the repeated threats from the CEOs, the gig workers continued the peaceful strikes resulting in delays in 60 per cent of orders. If the problems are not resolved, then let me tell you, this was just a teaser, more is yet to come. 10-minute delivery is a mental and physical stress for all the delivery boys. This should be removed immediately.” CEO Responds: Flexibility, Earnings, and Safety Goyal reiterated that average hourly earnings for delivery partners increased by 10.9 per cent year-on-year, reaching Rs 102 in 2025. He explained that a partner working 10 hours a day for 26 days would gross about Rs 26,500, and after around 20 per cent expenses on fuel and maintenance, net earnings stand at roughly Rs 21,000. These calculations include total logged-in hours, including waiting time. “Demanding full-time employee benefits like PF, or guaranteed salaries for gig roles doesn’t align with what the model is built for,” he said, calling the platform a “flexible, stop-gap earning option” rather than a traditional long-term job. Addressing safety concerns, Goyal stated, “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.” Quick commerce’s 10-minute promise DOES NOT put pressure on gig workers, and it DOESN’T lead to unsafe driving. Why? (3/5) The most common concern is that faster delivery promises translate into pressure on delivery partners to drive unsafely. That isn’t how the system operates.… — Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) January 2, 2026 He also highlighted welfare support: Zomato and Blinkit spent over Rs 100 crore on insurance premiums for partners, covering accident insurance up to Rs 10 lakh, medical coverage of Rs 1 lakh, and loss of pay insurance. Other benefits include two rest days per month for women, income tax filing assistance for 95,000 partners, and National Pension Scheme enrollment for 54,000 workers. “Flexibility isn’t incidental to the gig model, it is the whole point,” Goyal said. “Now tell me, is this unfair? Especially for an unskilled job, which is largely part-time, and has zero barriers to entry.” Zomato CEO on penalties, road safety and more Goyal also responded to questions about road safety and incentives. On why delivery partners sometimes rush or break traffic rules, he said, “If our delivery partners were the only ones breaking traffic rules, I would take the blame. A large number of Indians are always in a rush and breaking traffic rules. Whats their 10 minute incentive to do that? Nothing. We are impatient on the road as a society. Let me explain why you usually only notice our delivery partners break traffic rules? Because they are wearing uniforms, and you have a bias against platforms to attribute their behaviour to. But when someone without a uniform breaks traffic rules, you usually dont remember it later, because you dont have a brand/platform to attribute it to.” On the issue of penalties for late deliveries, Goyal clarified: “No penalties for late deliveries.” The debate has drawn attention from industry leaders as well. Naukri.com founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani praised Goyal’s post, indirectly questioning claims of exploitation, “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,” Bikhchandani wrote on X.

Despite Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyals claims, gig workers’ representatives argue that current pay and conditions fall short of providing stable and decent livelihoods, keeping the spotlight on the challenges faced by India’s fast-growing delivery workforce.