Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Mar 12: The ongoing cooking gas shortage triggered by the war in Iran and the wider Middle East has severely affected food delivery workers across India, with daily orders on platforms like Swiggy and Zomato reportedly dropping sharply.

According to the Gig and Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU), delivery partners who earlier handled around 30 orders a day are now receiving barely five deliveries, severely impacting their earnings.

“Our members are starving,” the union said in a statement, warning that the current crisis is turning into a disaster for gig workers.

The union said the disruption in global LPG supplies due to the Middle East conflict has led to a shortage of commercial cylinders, forcing restaurants, dhabas, cloud kitchens, catering services and street food vendors to shut down or scale back operations.

As a result, food delivery orders on platforms such as Swiggy and Zomato have reportedly dropped by 50 to 60 percent.

Explaining the impact on workers’ families, the union said many delivery partners are struggling to make ends meet. “Hundreds have approached us. Families are skipping meals and children are going hungry,” the statement said.

A delivery worker from Delhi, quoted by the union, said, “From 30 deliveries a day to just five or ten. Platforms are now threatening to deactivate my ID.”

The union warned that the war-induced crisis could push many workers into unemployment and debt, estimating that nearly one crore workers across sectors have been affected, including a large number of gig and platform workers.

It has urged food delivery platforms not to penalise workers for the fall in orders and instead provide compensation and support during the crisis.

The union has also written to the Union Labour Minister with a list of demands, including ensuring round-the-clock commercial LPG supply for food businesses by the Oil Ministry, immediate financial relief of Rs 10,000 per affected worker from platforms like Swiggy and Zomato, a three-month moratorium on ID deactivations, minimum daily incentives and full coverage of gig workers under the Code on Social Security 2020.

Across several cities, many restaurants and cloud kitchens have reportedly shut down or reduced their menus due to the shortage of cooking gas following disruptions in oil supplies from the Persian Gulf.

In response to the situation, the government has invoked the Essential Commodities Act to regulate the production, supply and distribution of cooking gas. Authorities, however, have said there is no need for panic and maintained that adequate measures are in place to manage the crisis.