Noida wage protest turned violent

Factory workers in Noida’s Phase 2 clashed with police on April 13 as a wage protest turned violent, with tear gas used after vehicles were torched and stones were thrown. (aljazeera.com) Police and local officials said the worst violence hit Phase 2 and nearby Sector 60, where demonstrators damaged property, blocked roads and disrupted traffic toward Delhi during the morning rush. (cnbctv18.com) (livemint.com) The protest had entered its fourth day by Monday, and workers said they wanted monthly pay raised from about ₹13,000 to ₹18,000-₹20,000, along with weekly days off, fixed duty hours, overtime pay, bonuses and safer workplaces. (news18.com) (cnbctv18.com) The pay dispute sharpened after Haryana recently raised minimum wages by about 35 percent, a move Noida workers cited as a benchmark for similar factory jobs across the state border. News18 reported Haryana’s revised daily rates at roughly ₹580 to ₹750, while some Noida workers said they were getting about ₹350 to ₹435 a day. (news18.com) Uttar Pradesh had already revised minimum wages effective April 1, 2026, but the notified rates remained well below what many protesters were demanding. CNBC-TV18 listed the new monthly rates at ₹11,313.65 for unskilled workers, ₹12,445 for semi-skilled workers and ₹13,940.37 for skilled workers in 74 scheduled employments. (cnbctv18.com) Officials had opened talks before the violence. District Magistrate Medha Roopam met labour officials on April 12 to discuss double overtime pay, bonus payments and workplace safety, and the state later formed a high-level panel to handle the unrest. (livemint.com) (business-standard.com) Police said they used “minimum force” and denied any firing, while also saying some workers from other states had joined protests at several Noida locations and that false information was being spread online. The Hindu reported that two First Information Reports were filed over alleged misinformation on social media. (thehindu.com) Opposition leaders blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh for ignoring workers’ demands, while companies pushed back on claims that the unrest was tied to a single employer. Samvardhana Motherson International told stock exchanges the disruption was an industry-wide issue and had no material impact on its operations. (thehindu.com) (bseindia.com) Noida’s industrial belt includes thousands of factories in auto parts, electronics and garments, and Business Standard reported that about half of factories in some affected areas shut for the day. By Monday night, the immediate fight was no longer only about one pay slab, but about whether a fast-growing industrial hub can contain a widening wage dispute without more force. (business-standard.com)