Noida Worker Protests Escalate

Factory workers protesting for higher pay in Noida clashed with police on April 13, and parts of the city’s industrial belt saw arson, stone-pelting and road blockades. (indianexpress.com) The violence was reported in Phase 2 and Sectors 60 and 62, where protesters damaged vehicles, set some government vehicles on fire and snarled traffic on routes linking Noida with Delhi. Police said heavy deployment was sent in and “minimum force” was used to restore order. (hindustantimes.com) By April 14, Gautam Buddh Nagar Police said more than 300 people had been arrested and seven first information reports had been registered. The Uttar Pradesh labour department also set up a high-powered panel to hold talks with unions and industry groups. (thehindu.com, news18.com) The immediate trigger was pay. Workers said they wanted wages raised in line with labour-law promises and pointed to Haryana’s March 9 revision of minimum wages, which took effect on April 1 and lifted monthly pay for unskilled workers there to Rs 15,220.71. (hindustantimes.com, indianexpress.com) The Noida unrest did not start on Monday. Hindustan Times reported that demonstrations had been running for four to five days, and The Indian Express said similar worker protests had already broken out this year in Barauni, Surat, Manesar and Panipat. (hindustantimes.com, indianexpress.com) Across those industrial hubs, unions have raised the same set of complaints: higher minimum wages, better overtime pay, payment of pending dues, better conditions for contract workers and parity with permanent staff. The Indian Express said many workers had expected wage revisions after India’s four labour codes took effect on November 21, 2025. (indianexpress.com) Those four laws — the Code on Wages, Code on Social Security, Industrial Relations Code, and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code — were meant to standardize wage and social-security rules across sectors. Workers’ groups told The Indian Express that the promised gains have not shown up in pay packets as living costs have climbed. (indianexpress.com) The Uttar Pradesh government responded on April 14 with an interim minimum-wage increase effective from April 1, 2026, and The Indian Express reported that workers in Noida and Ghaziabad would get the highest revised rates in the state. Some workers, though, continued protesting after the announcement. (indianexpress.com, hindustantimes.com) Police have said they are investigating whether “external elements” helped inflame the violence, while worker representatives have kept the focus on wages, weekly rest days and job security. The next test is whether the state’s talks and pay revision can calm a protest that has already spread beyond one factory gate. (news18.com, hindustantimes.com)