In Hyderabad, delivery workers tied to quick commerce firm Zepto have stopped work indefinitely, pushing back against what they describe as unfair treatment and a sharp drop in their earnings. The Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU), which represents many of these workers, claims the company has slashed per-delivery payouts to as low as ₹10–15 — a steep cut from the ₹35 workers say they were earning just a couple of months ago.
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Shaik Salauddin, who leads the TGPWU, said frustration is mounting among the workers. “We’re hoping the authorities will step in, but if nothing changes soon, we’re ready to take this protest beyond Hyderabad,” he told The Economic Times.
The union has written to the state’s labour department, calling for an inspection of Zepto’s so-called ‘dark stores’ — the local warehouses powering their rapid delivery promises. The letter urges the government to check if Zepto is abiding by basic wage laws and providing any legal safeguards to the gig workers on whom its operations rely.
This protest, now into its fifth day, has affected several Zepto locations across the city. According to the union, the company hasn’t yet responded to the striking workers or attempted to open a line of communication. The TGPWU also accused Zepto of penalizing workers arbitrarily — citing unexplained fines, account suspensions, and a lack of transparency in performance assessments. “There’s no proper system in place to contest these actions or even understand how they’re being judged,” the union stated.
Meanwhile, concerns about practices in the ecommerce and quick commerce sector are growing louder. Just last month, trade bodies like the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), the All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA), and the Organised Retailers Association (ORA) flagged what they called “unchecked” business tactics by major players in the space.
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Their complaints included accusations of deep discounts and inventory-led sales — methods that run afoul of foreign direct investment (FDI) rules meant to keep marketplaces neutral and competitive.
