Some industrial workers on dharna in Sectors 63 and 65 of Noida tried to damage the grills of a garment export company on Wednesday but baton-wielding cops chased them away, as violence continued for the third day over pay.
The workers are demanding a minimum monthly salary of ₹20,000. However, an eight-member committee formed under the Uttar Pradesh industrial development commissioner announced on Tuesday that the monthly salary of skilled workers in Noida and Ghaziabad has been raised from ₹13,940 to ₹16,868. Semi-skilled workers, who used to get ₹12,445 a month, will now receive ₹15,059. The unskilled workers’ salary has been increased from ₹11,313 to ₹13,690.
Noida district magistrate Medha Rupam blamed outsourcing agencies hiring workers for the trouble. “We held a meeting with the outsourcing agents and told them that they will also be held responsible if their workers resort to violence. Their licences will be terminated and they will be taken to task,” Rupam said.
Neha Gujjar, an employee with a garment factory in Sector 65, said: “The government has accepted that our monthly salary is ₹11,313 to ₹13,940 and asked the industries to give a raise of ₹2,377 to ₹2,928. It is an admission by the government that it doesn’t want industrial workers, the majority of whom are in the IT and garment factories, to lead a decent life. The government is playing into the hands of the corporate groups.”