Gig Worker Rights

Effective July 1, 2026, Gojek (owned by GoTo) reduced commissions charged to Indonesian motorcycle-taxi ('ojol') drivers from 20% to 8%, matching Grab's move, following sustained pressure from President Prabowo Subianto and a new presidential regulation (No. 27/2026) on online transport worker protections. Within days, thousands of drivers and students protested at Monas and the House of Representatives, saying GoTo had simultaneously lowered base per-trip tariffs, leaving net take-home pay largely unchanged despite the lower commission rate. Drivers, through the Indonesian Transport Workers Union (SPAI), separately demanded the government reclassify them as employees rather than the 'micro-entrepreneurs' status the Ministry of MSMEs proposed. The underlying presidential regulation had not been published in the official state gazette as of mid-July 2026, creating legal uncertainty about enforcement.

Effective July 1, 2026, Grab reduced commissions charged to Indonesian motorcycle-taxi ('ojol') drivers from 20% to 8%, following sustained pressure from President Prabowo Subianto and a new presidential regulation (No. 27/2026) on online transport worker protections. Within days, thousands of drivers and students protested at Monas and the House of Representatives, saying Grab had simultaneously lowered base per-trip tariffs, leaving net take-home pay largely unchanged despite the lower commission rate. Drivers, through the Indonesian Transport Workers Union (SPAI), separately demanded the government reclassify them as employees rather than the 'micro-entrepreneurs' status the Ministry of MSMEs proposed, and called for ratification of ILO Convention 193 on platform workers. The underlying presidential regulation had not been published in the official state gazette as of mid-July 2026, creating legal uncertainty about enforcement.

Under Mexico's 2024 platform-worker labor reform reclassifying app-based workers as employees, companies faced their first annual profit-sharing (PTU) distribution deadline in 2026. DiDi refused to distribute payments, stating that 'the companies in charge of complying with labor obligations have not yet completed their first year of operation.' Workers held a nationwide two-hour work stoppage on May 15, 2026 protesting unfair rates and the profit-sharing refusal across Uber, DiDi and (initially) Rappi platforms, demanding a collective labor agreement.

Under Mexico's 2024 platform-worker labor reform (which reclassified app-based delivery/ride workers as employees with statutory rights), companies faced their first annual profit-sharing (PTU - participación de los trabajadores en las utilidades) distribution deadline in 2026. Rappi distributed the mandatory payments to qualifying workers, while Uber and DiDi did not (see related incidents). President Claudia Sheinbaum publicly credited the reform for delivering 'the first time app workers received profit sharing,' though only Rappi actually complied among the three major platforms.

Under Mexico's 2024 platform-worker labor reform reclassifying app-based workers as employees, companies faced their first annual profit-sharing (PTU) distribution deadline in 2026. Uber refused to distribute payments, arguing it had formed a new corporate entity to comply with the labor reform and was therefore exempt from first-year profit-sharing obligations, despite having operated in Mexico for over a decade. Union leader Sergio Guerrero (UNTA - National Union of Application Workers) publicly disputed the exemption claim. Workers held a nationwide two-hour work stoppage on May 15, 2026 protesting unfair rates, wage suppression that keeps drivers below benefit-eligibility income thresholds, and the profit-sharing refusal, demanding a collective labor agreement.

On April 21, 2026, Rideshare Drivers United (~20,000 members) filed lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court alleging Uber violated California's Proposition 22 by failing to provide adequate appeals for driver deactivations. Named drivers include Devins Baker (8-year driver, deactivated for hard braking to avoid a pedestrian, received only 'copy and paste responses') and Mirwais Noory (father of four, forced to relocate family after deactivation). Documented problems include bot-based initial contact, offshore call centers working from scripts, no transparency about which passenger complained, and decisions appearing predetermined.

An April 2026 report by labor rights group Equidem, based on 108 interviews with migrant food-delivery riders in Saudi Arabia and the UAE (from Bangladesh, Cameroon, India, Kenya, Nepal and Pakistan), found indicators of forced labor in 42% of cases across platforms including Careem (Uber), Talabat and HungerStation (Delivery Hero). Nearly all riders (99%) were hired through third-party logistics firms (3PLs) rather than directly by the platforms, and were bound to those same firms under Saudi Arabia's kafala sponsorship system, unable to change employer without consent and fearing retaliation, detention or deportation if they spoke out. The report documented wage theft, unpaid multi-month waiting periods before assignment, and injured riders receiving no medical coverage. It specifically flagged governance gaps at Careem: the company has no standalone human rights policy, and neither its Code of Conduct nor its Third-Party Code of Conduct explicitly protects freedom of association or collective bargaining. The report concluded that multinational platforms 'centralise control over food delivery markets while evading responsibility for the working conditions of riders hired through 3PLs.'

On December 25, 2024 and New Year's Eve 2025, over 200,000 delivery workers from Zomato, Swiggy, and Amazon struck across India, organized by IFAT. Workers demanded fair pay, an end to 10-minute delivery targets, and social security. A Hyderabad driver making 5 rupees (<10 cents) per order base rate works 7pm-5am daily. CEO Deepinder Goyal claimed deliveries were 'unaffected' but unions responded workers 'cannot afford to log out.'

New Jersey Department of Labor audit found Lyft improperly classified more than 100,000 drivers as independent contractors from 2014 to 2017, depriving them of unemployment insurance, family leave, and disability benefits. Settlement includes $10.8 million for unpaid unemployment, family leave, and disability taxes, plus $8.5 million in penalties and interest. Lyft initially contested findings in 2022, case shifted to Office of Administrative Law. In August 2025, days before first hearing date, Lyft withdrew request for hearing and paid remaining balance. Lyft spokesperson stated 'While we disagree with the NJDOL's findings, we will not be pursuing further challenges to the assessment.'

Through 2025 and into 2026, DoorDash ran a large, coordinated lobbying campaign (often alongside Uber and Lyft) to pass 'portable benefits' legislation in more than a dozen US states plus federal bills (Sen. Bill Cassidy's Unlocking Benefits for Independent Workers Act; Rep. Kevin Kiley's House companion). The laws let gig companies contribute a small percentage of driver earnings (DoorDash used roughly 4%) to portable accounts while explicitly codifying drivers as independent contractors rather than employees, avoiding minimum wage, workers' compensation, and unemployment insurance obligations. DoorDash was the top lobbying spender in Wisconsin for all of 2025 (nearly $2M in the first half, ~$2.2M for the year) pushing a bill that Democratic Governor Tony Evers vetoed in August 2025, citing the absence of guaranteed worker benefits. Laws passed or advanced in Alabama, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, Mississippi, Georgia, Kansas, and Wyoming, with bills pending in Florida, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. Pilot programs in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Maryland showed limited real-world benefit: a Georgia pilot covering 5,500 drivers produced an average account balance of just $163 after six months, used mostly for emergency savings rather than health care or retirement. DoorDash also organized driver/merchant lobbying days ('DashRoots') in Washington DC to advocate for the framework.

Between July 2024 and July 2025, hourly pay for Uber and Lyft drivers fell sharply in cities where Waymo operates: 6.9% in San Francisco and 5.3% in Austin. With Waymo providing 450,000 paid rides per week by December 2025 and targeting 1 million weekly by end of 2026, organized labor groups including the Teamsters, San Francisco Taxi Workers Alliance, and Rideshare Drivers United have mobilized opposition. San Francisco taxi drivers holding medallions purchased since 2010 have sought debt relief assistance. Multiple cities including San Diego, Minneapolis, and Boston have seen formal opposition from councils and labor coalitions.

In May 2025, thousands of Grab drivers in Indonesia staged a 24-hour strike, shutting down services nationwide. Drivers demanded platform commission fees be reduced from 20% to 10%, clearer holiday pay rules, and better safety nets. Raden Igun Wicaksono, chairman of the driver's union Garda Indonesia, stated 'Many of our friends got into accidents on the road, died on the road because they have to chase their income.' Grab's stock price dropped 6.2% in June following the strike. The action demonstrated growing driver discontent with income pressure forcing unsafe working conditions.

NY Attorney General Letitia James announced a $16.75 million settlement with DoorDash for misleading consumers and delivery workers by using tips intended for Dashers to subsidize their guaranteed pay. Between May 2017 and September 2019, DoorDash used customer tips to offset the base pay it had already guaranteed to workers. Approximately 63,000 New York delivery workers benefited from this settlement.

In February 2025, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a $16.75 million settlement with DoorDash for misleading consumers and delivery workers. Between May 2017 and September 2019, DoorDash used customer tips to offset base pay it had already guaranteed workers, rather than paying tips on top. If a customer tipped $6 on a $10 guaranteed order, DoorDash would only pay $4 base - the worker still got $10 total. DoorDash told customers 'Dashers will always receive 100% of the tip' while using tips to reduce its own costs. About 63,000 New York delivery workers were affected.

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.

Dunzo, Google's first direct Indian startup investment (2017), shut down in January 2025 after catastrophic mismanagement left hundreds unpaid. By late 2024, Dunzo laid off 75%+ of staff (from 800+ to ~50 employees). Valuation crashed from peak to ₹300 crore as Reliance wrote off ₹1,645 crore ($200M) investment. Over 400 employees went unpaid through multiple rounds of delayed salaries. Naveen Meka (supply lead, laid off) wrote WhatsApp messages 'begging for unpaid wages so he could pay his children's school fees, but nothing came of it.' One employee laid off August 2024 is owed 250,000 rupees ($2,860) and has merchants reaching out on LinkedIn asking about back pay. Workers arriving for regular shifts were stopped at factory gates by security and informed of closure. Preceded by 2022 Bengaluru strike over incentive structure changes. Demonstrates pattern: rapid expansion funded by venture capital, exploitation of gig workers, catastrophic collapse leaving workers to bear consequences.

More than 200,000 delivery workers across Zomato, Swiggy, Zepto, Amazon, Blinkit, and Flipkart struck on December 25, 2024 and December 31, 2025 (New Year's Eve). Workers demanded: (1) restoration of old payout system, (2) removal of 10-minute delivery model forcing unsafe speeds, (3) stopping ID deactivation without reason, (4) fixing algorithms that reduce incentives, and (5) social security including health insurance. Base pay as low as 5 rupees (10 cents) per order. Workers forced to complete 35-40 orders daily, working 16-hour days for 700 rupees ($7.70) after expenses. One delivery rider became accident victim every three days in Hyderabad; 17,000+ traffic violations recorded in single week as riders forced to run red lights. Strike caused 50-60% order delays on December 25. Union leader Shaik Salauddin: 'Delivery workers are being pushed to the breaking point by unsafe work models, falling incomes, and total absence of social protection.'

In November 2024 the UK Supreme Court ruled definitively that Uber operates as the principal contractor in passenger transport agreements rather than a booking agent for individual drivers, meaning Uber must charge 20% VAT directly on UK ride fares. The decision came after HMRC litigation, settlement negotiations, and a parallel 2021 Supreme Court worker-classification ruling. Uber recognised approximately £1.5 billion in back VAT obligations.

UK Employment Tribunal ruled in November 2024 that Bolt's drivers qualify as 'workers' rather than self-employed contractors, entitling them to minimum wage protections. The tribunal found drivers 'did work for Bolt' and rejected Bolt's 'bogus documentation designed to set up and protect the agency-based construct.' Lawyers estimate compensation could exceed £200 million for 15,000 claimants.

On July 25, 2024, the California Supreme Court unanimously upheld Proposition 22, allowing Uber and other gig companies to classify drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. Uber and other gig companies had spent $200 million to pass Prop 22 in 2020 - the most expensive ballot measure in California history.