Zomato—CEO Deepinder Goyal dismissed 200K striker demands, called protesters 'miscreants,' claimed strike failed despite forcing government intervention

Following nationwide strikes by 200,000+ delivery workers over extreme low wages and dangerous conditions, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal dismissed worker concerns, stating Zomato delivered 'at a record pace' and was 'unaffected by calls for strikes,' crediting 'local law enforcement' for 'keeping small number of miscreants in check.' Goyal argued 'if a system were fundamentally unfair, it would not consistently attract and retain so many people.' Union leader Shaik Salauddin responded: 'CEO of Zomato is trying to save himself, at an organizational level he has come under pressure...even after repeated threats from CEOs, gig workers continued peaceful strikes resulting in delays in 60% of orders.' In January 2026, Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya forced Zomato, Blinkit, Swiggy, and Zepto to remove 10-minute delivery pledges - the strikers' primary demand. Zomato also terminates nearly 5,000 gig workers monthly for 'fraud' while 150,000-200,000 leave voluntarily.