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Gig workers union demands higher payouts with 5-hour app shutdown over fuel price shock
India
Published on 16 May 2026
Drivers may “switch off” apps for five hours
The Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) has called for a nationwide five-hour shutdown of app-based services today, from 12 PM to 5 PM. The union says rising fuel costs after a roughly ₹3 per litre hike in petrol and diesel will squeeze earnings for lakhs of gig workers, arguing that platform payouts have stayed largely unchanged. It demands a central law, legal protections, and a minimum kilometre-based service rate of ₹20 per km, citing stagnant delivery charges and NITI Aayog estimates of rapid gig-worker growth.
- GIPSWU asks app-based workers to stop services from 12 PM to 5 PM today
- Union blames fuel and LPG price pressure alongside “stagnant payouts” for income squeeze
- Petrol in Delhi reportedly hit about ₹97.77 per litre and diesel about ₹90.67 after the rise
- GIPSWU demands a central law and a minimum service rate of ₹20 per kilometre
- It cites estimates of gig workers growing from 7.7 million in 2020-21 to 23.5 million by 2029-30
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This summarization was done by Beige for a story published on 
Inc42