Over 350 arrested a day after violence during Noida workers’ protest

On Monday, thousands of factory workers from dozens of units across Noida’s industrial belt protested violently to demand better wages and working conditions.

A high-level committee was set up by the UP Labour Department to resolve the dispute between workers and industries and discussions were held with all stakeholders, following which Uttar Pradesh government hiked minimum wages for workers across categories.

The revised interim rates will come into effect from April 1, 2026, retrospectively, officials said.

#WATCH | On Noida labour protests, Industrial Development Commissioner, Deepak Kumar, says, “You are aware about the CM’s commitment to make the state number one in every sector. He is committed to bringing the best policies for the generation of employment opportunities. After… pic.twitter.com/H5sMTl8NTh

— ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2026

The violence marked a sharp escalation of tensions that had been simmering in the factories since Friday, and the latest in a series of labour protests that have broken out in at least four other cities across North India over the past couple of months.

The common demand in these protests, led mainly by contractual workers, has been for better working conditions similar to those for regular employees, higher minimum wages, better overtime payments, and clearance of dues.

Addressing the media, Gautam Buddh Nagar Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh said, “Route marches have been conducted continuously since 5:00 am. This morning, workers gathered at three locations; following immediate dialogue, they were peacefully dispersed within just 15 minutes.”

She further added that over the past two days, several WhatsApp groups have been created using QR codes to add workers, indicating the possible role of an organised network. “Over the past two days, several WhatsApp groups have been created, through which workers are being added by scanning QR codes. This indicates that an organised and well-orchestrated syndicate is active behind these activities,” she said.

She further added: “Certain elements within the crowd involved in such acts have been identified and arrested; further arrests will be ensured in due course. Their funding sources will also be investigated; should it be discovered that they received financial assistance from outside the state or the country, appropriate action will be initiated in that regard as well.”

Sources in several workers’ unions told The Indian Express that workers were expecting an increase in wages after the implementation of the Labour Codes in November 2025. However, the wage revisions did not happen as expected, and the outbreak of the war in the Middle East and the shortage of cooking gas and the distress it has triggered in some sectors have deepened frustrations.

The Codes on Wages, Social Security, Industrial Relations, and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions, which went into effect on November 21 last year, are intended to ease regulations and compliance norms for employers, as well as ensure uniformity in wage structure and social security protection for workers.

As the energy crisis has become worse over the past month, some migrant workers facing the brunt of the higher cost of living due to the shortage of LPG, have opted to temporarily return to their home towns.

Monday’s protest in Noida comes after the Haryana government on April 9 revised minimum wages with effect from April 1, 2026. This was the first revision of wages after October 21, 2015. The basic monthly minimum wage for unskilled workers in Haryana is now Rs 15,220.71, and that for highly skilled workers is Rs 19,42.85. The corresponding per-day wage, which applies to contractual workers, is Rs 582.40 and Rs 747.14 respectively.