Haryana, UP raise wages

Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have sharply raised minimum wages this month, lifting the pay floor for factory and contract workers across two of north India’s biggest industrial belts. (storage.hrylabour.gov.in) Haryana’s Labour Department notified new statewide rates on April 9, with effect from April 1, 2026: ₹15,220.71 a month for unskilled workers, ₹16,780.74 for semi-skilled workers, ₹18,500.81 for skilled workers and ₹19,425.85 for highly skilled workers. (storage.hrylabour.gov.in) The notification says the revised rates apply across establishments covered by the Code on Wages, 2019, bars employers from splitting the basic minimum wage into allowances, and says men and women must receive the same wage for the same category of work. (storage.hrylabour.gov.in) Uttar Pradesh followed on April 14 with an interim revision effective from April 1, after factory unrest in Noida. In Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad, unskilled workers will now get ₹13,690 a month, semi-skilled workers ₹15,059 and skilled workers ₹16,868. (thehindubusinessline.com) The Uttar Pradesh order sets lower pay floors outside those two districts: ₹13,006, ₹14,306 and ₹16,025 in other municipal corporation areas, and ₹12,356, ₹13,591 and ₹15,224 in the remaining districts for unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled workers, respectively. (thehindubusinessline.com) The immediate trigger in Uttar Pradesh was a wave of worker protests in Noida on April 13. Mint reported that police said about 45,000 workers across eight industrial sectors were protesting, and that units including Lava, Dixon Technologies and Spark Minda were shut on April 14. (livemint.com) State officials said the Uttar Pradesh increase came after consultations with employers’ bodies and labour organisations, and described the result as a “balanced and practical” outcome. The state also said online claims of a ₹20,000 statewide minimum wage were false. (thehindubusinessline.com, economictimes.indiatimes.com) The pressure on Haryana had also been building. The state’s April 9 gazette says the new rates replace the earlier structure last fixed in a 2015 notification, and Reuters reported the increase followed labour protests in the Manesar auto belt. (storage.hrylabour.gov.in, telegraphindia.com) Industry groups say the speed and size of the increases could hit smaller firms hardest. The Times of India reported Haryana associations said a 35% jump in minimum wages could push total wage outgo up by about 45% once provident fund, employee state insurance and bonus costs are added, while The New Indian Express said large companies expect a more limited impact than smaller manufacturers. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com, newindianexpress.com) For workers, the revisions reset the legal floor for monthly pay in the National Capital Region’s factory clusters. For employers in Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Faridabad and Manesar, the next test is whether the higher floor cools unrest without forcing more units to cut shifts, delay hiring or shut lines. (storage.hrylabour.gov.in, thehindubusinessline.com, livemint.com)