Noida factory hub stalls as workers reject wage hike offer

Noida wore a deserted look on Tuesday morning, a day after workers' protests demanding higher wages turned violent, with idle factory floors and police patrols replacing the usual shift-change bustle in one of Uttar Pradesh's largest industrial hubs.

As the day progressed, workers returned to the streets, protesting the state government’s proposal for a 21% increase in minimum wages for contract labourers, according to a copy of the letter seen by Mint. The proposal would increase the payouts to ₹13,690 for unskilled labour, ₹15,059 for partially skilled labour, and ₹16,868 for skilled labour.

According to a Noida police statement on Monday, about 45,000 workers in the industrial hub's eight major industrial sectors are on protest, demanding minimum pay on the lines of higher wages in neighbouring Haryana. On Tuesday, many units remained shut, including electronics manufacturers Lava and Dixon Technologies in Sector 63 and auto component maker Spark Minda in Sector 59.

In Sector 80, a protest outside Guru Amardass International Pvt. Ltd. turned violent within minutes, with stone-pelting damaging the factory’s facade and prompting arrests. Amit Tomar, station house officer of Sector 58 police station, told Mint “precautionary arrests” had been made.

“We’re rounding up any individual who is or has shown any tendency of public violence. The goal is to return all proceedings back to normal,” he said.

Nitin Gupta, cofounder and chief executive of recycling firm Attero Recycling, said the company had shut its corporate headquarters for the day due to the protests. “We didn’t get any formal notice from the police, but it is a precautionary closure after nearly 150 workers barged in yesterday demanding that our offices shut down,” he said.

However, two industry executives said the closures were partly in line with an advisory issued by the district magistrate. An official in district magistrate Medha Roopam’s office said the top official could not speak with Mint due to “prolonged meetings in light of the current situation.”

Though Mint could not determine a potential figure for losses that this disruption caused on Tuesday, several large companies, including auto component maker Motherson Sumi, electronics manufacturing services firm Dixon Technologies and automaker Maruti Suzuki, told the stock exchange that there were no major disruptions.

The ripple effects extended beyond factory gates. Rajinder, who runs a food stall outside a Dixon facility, and earns nearly ₹6,000 on peak weekdays, said. “I haven’t earned even ₹1,000 by afternoon."

Meanwhile, workers claimed that they remained the victims of the protest. Pramod Yadav, a 50-year-old factory worker at sector 80’s Kanta Enterprises Pvt. Ltd, said “our protest is genuine—we’re only asking for higher, fair wages and no union has called us here.”

Yadav, who also drives an auto-rickshaw, said he was present during Monday’s protests “until stone-pelting began and everything turned violent.”

Activists said the current working conditions were unacceptable as well. Ritika, a young worker who led a group of nearly 80 workers of Guru Amardass International on Tuesday, said, “We’re not politicised or unionised. We have been offered a hike … but that isn’t satisfactory—we’re looking for a minimum wage of ₹15,000 for unskilled workers and ₹20,000 for skilled workers, in line with what the Haryana government has offered.”

She said the group would continue protesting but denied involvement in vandalism.

“We work overtime, often with minimal breaks. Payments are delayed at least by 15 days. In fact, I’m yet to even receive my March salary,” said Vikrant, a maintenance worker from Uttar Pradesh’s Farrukhabad at a factory unit in sector 80.

For long-time businesses in the region, the scale of unrest is unusual. “We have been here since 1991. There have been strikes and some peaceful movements over issues like wage hikes, but never have we seen or heard of such violence,” said R.S. Maurya, manager at Hindustan Refrigeration Stores.

Surendra Kumar Pandey, general secretary of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, the labour wing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), said in a statement that the current unrest reflects genuine concerns of workers. "Issues such as wage disparities within similar industrial clusters, rising cost of living, excessive contractualization, and lack of effective grievance redressal mechanisms have contributed to dissatisfaction. When these concerns are ignored or delayed, they inevitably manifest in unrest." Pandey added.

Hannan Mollah, leader of Communist Party of India (Marxist) and former member of Parliament, told Mint, “The working class is worried about their falling income in view of rising costs. Health costs are up, kitchen expenses are up, LPG prices are up too—and the situation is worsening now…Trade unionism is a part of democracy, and has to be acknowledged as a way of getting workers’ rights."