A protest by factory workers demanding a hike in wages turned violent in parts of Noida on Monday, with incidents of arson, vandalism and stone-pelting reported from Phase-2 and Sector 60 areas, police said.
Police lobbed tear gas shells and used "minimum force" to quell the protest.
According to officials, a large number of workers from various industrial units gathered to press for their long-pending demand for salary revision and raised slogans during the demonstration.
The protest, however, escalated into violence as some participants allegedly vandalised property, pelted stones and set a vehicle on fire.
A major trigger of the agitation is a development in neighbouring Haryana. The Haryana government's decision to hike the minimum pay has led workers in Noida to question why their wages should not be raised too.
Haryana has raised minimum wages for unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled and highly-skilled workers by 35 per cent. An unskilled worker in Haryana will now earn at least Rs 15,220 a month, and a semi-skilled worker will now get Rs 16,780 a month.
Living costs across the world have risen as the US-Israeli war in Iran curbed fuel supplies. Similar protests in the auto-making state of Haryana last week led to the government ordering a 35 per cent hike in minimum wages.
Most of the protesting workers have said they make under Rs 15,000 a month and questioned how they can make ends meet with this sum. Some of them also said they are made to work for 12 hours daily and demanded 8-hour shifts.
Lakshmi, one of the protesting workers, told NDTV, "We are just asking for two things. One is overtime pay, and the other is a minimum wage of Rs 20,000 a month. We are being exploited in our company. We aren't given meals at the proper time, and there is no safety for women."
Another protester said each worker must earn at least Rs 800 a day. "Right now, we make Rs 300-400 a day."
Vinay Mahoti, 30, who hails from the eastern state of Bihar and works at a hosiery company in Noida, told Reuters he initially protested inside his manufacturing unit but later joined workers from other companies who took to the streets.
"Duty hours should be fixed, overtime hours should be paid, and companies...should adhere to the guidelines laid by the federal government," he said, listing his demands.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday blamed the BJP government's "one-sided policies" for the violent protests.
In a post on X, Yadav said the agitation over wage hike had turned aggressive due to policies that "nurture capitalists but exploit workers".
He alleged that while funds continue to flow towards "donor capitalists", workers are deprived of fair wages.
"In times of rising inflation, it is extremely difficult for a family to survive on low wages. Only someone running a household can understand this," he said, adding that salaried employees no longer want the BJP.
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai also slammed the government over the handling of the situation, saying visuals from outside the Motherson company in Noida were "disturbing".
"When inflation is breaking people's backs and workers are being exploited in the name of wages, the youth will be forced to come out on the streets," Rai said in a post on X.
"Advertisements cannot fill empty stomachs. Tear gas shells cannot answer hunger. Stop ignoring the legitimate demands of workers and find a solution instead of resorting to repression," he added, addressing Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has said workers must get their due and industries must follow labour laws. He, however, directed authorities to take strict action against anti-social elements trying to instigate workers.
On Sunday, Noida district magistrate Medha Roopam held a meeting with the state’s Principal Secretary (Labour) and Labour commissioner, where issues related to workers’ rights and industrial peace were discussed.
An official statement posted by the DM on X said the meeting focused on “protection of workers’ interests, double payment for overtime, bonus, weekly holidays, and workplace safety.”
The DM had also appealed to workers to maintain calm and not fall for rumours. She urged employees to cooperate in maintaining law and order and shared control room numbers for assistance.
According to an official statement in Lucknow on Sunday evening, the UP government has announced a series of measures aimed at strengthening labour welfare, including mandatory double overtime pay, timely wages for workers in Gautam Buddh Nagar.
Under the directives of Adityanath, the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration has implemented strict rules for industrial units, positioning the district as a model for labour reforms in the state, it said.
District Magistrate Medha Roopam held meetings with representatives of industrial units and issued key directives to safeguard workers' rights.
According to the new guidelines, payment for overtime work has been made mandatory at double the regular rate, with no scope for deductions.
The administration also directed industrial units to ensure CCTV cameras at factory gates remain functional and set up a control room to address workers' grievances and maintain law and order.
Officials said industrial units and workers may report any issues they encounter to this control room via the telephone numbers 1202978231, 1202978232, 1202978862, and 1202978702, thereby ensuring prompt remedial action.
Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Krishna on Monday said police are identifying elements who allegedly instigated violence during workers' protests in Noida and warned that strict action will be taken against them.
In a brief update, the DGP said "provocative elements" and "external elements" involved in the unrest are being traced.
"Firm legal action will follow once their identities are established," Krishna said.
According to police sources, several teams have been deployed at all motorable roads connecting Noida to different parts of Delhi, particularly at major border points with Uttar Pradesh, to prevent any spillover of unrest.
Senior officers said that strict vigil is being maintained and thorough checking of vehicles is being carried out to ensure that no anti-social elements enter the city under the guise of the protest.
"Delhi Police is fully alert and vigilant. Adequate force has been deployed at all strategic locations. No one will be allowed to breach law and order," a senior police officer said.
Barricading has been intensified at key border points, and additional personnel, including rapid response teams, paramilitary forces, have been stationed to respond swiftly to any untoward incident.
Police officers said they were monitoring the situation and were in touch with their UP counterparts.
Traffic affected
Long queues of vehicles were seen stretching for several kilometres, with many commuters stranded for hours.
The situation was particularly severe at Chilla border and Sector 62, where workers blocked roads during morning peak hours, causing long traffic snarls on the first working day of the week
Frustrated commuters took to social media platform X, urging authorities to intervene and clear the roads. Many complained of being stuck in unmoving traffic despite starting early to avoid peak-hour congestion.
An employee of a private company said she left her home at around 7:30 am but remained stuck in traffic for over an hour without any significant movement.
"There is no movement at all. People are getting down from vehicles and trying to figure out what's happening ahead," she said.
Delhi Traffic Police also took to X to inform commuters about the blockade.
"Traffic at Noida severely affected due to on going agitation by the workers from private factories. They have completely blocked Noida Link Road coming from Chilla Border (Delhi). Traffic movement towards Noida from the Chilla Border is severely affected," it said in a statement.
People are hereby advised to plan their journey accordingly and use DND for travelling to Noida. Those intending to go to Noida may use DND from Sarai Kale Khan or alternatively use NH 24 - Kondli Bridge and enter Noida through Noida Mod, it added.
Authorities said efforts were underway to clear the congestion and restore smooth traffic flow as soon as possible.
