Taking a cue from the grassroots campaign by dairy farmers in several Haryana villages to fix buffalo milk prices at around ₹100 per litre, labourers in the state’s unorganised sector are now mobilising to collectively raise their daily wages, with village-level panchayats demanding ₹1000 for unskilled and ₹1500 for skilled workers.
The campaign, being driven largely through informal workers’ groups and social media, has begun spreading across districts, particularly among construction workers, masons and other daily wagers. Workers are holding village meetings and panchayats and urging labourers not to accept the old rates once the new wages are collectively adopted.
At a panchayat in Buda Khera village of Jind district, labourers unanimously decided to seek a minimum daily wage of ₹1,000 for unskilled workers and ₹1500 for skilled workers. Women labourers participating in the meeting also demanded wages at par with their male counterparts.
Similar demands have emerged from several other parts of the state. In Kalanwali, Sirsa, a labourers’ panchayat called upon workers to join the campaign and refrain from working if the proposed higher wages were not paid. The workers also demanded that women labourers be paid at least ₹700 a day.
In Sirsa’s Kharian village, mason Ravir Mayal has been using social media to mobilise construction workers and raj-mistris across the state.
{{/usCountry}}In Sirsa’s Kharian village, mason Ravir Mayal has been using social media to mobilise construction workers and raj-mistris across the state.
{{/usCountry}}“Earlier, prices of sugar, petrol and LPG increased. Now dairy farmers have announced an increase in milk prices. Therefore, it is difficult for a labourer earning around ₹600 a day to feed his family,” Mayal said. He said a social media campaign had been launched to bring labourers and raj-mistris on a common platform and press for the revised rates.
The campaign has also reached several parts of the state and villages, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Hisar and Hansi. Meetings have been held in Bans, Mirachpur and Nangthala in Hisar and Madanheri in Hansi, where workers decided to raise their rates. In some places, labourers have even threatened to impose penalties on those who continue working at the old rates.
The demand assumes significance given the size of Haryana’s unorganised workforce. More than 54 lakh workers were registered on the Centre’s e-Shram portal by April 2025, according to the state labour department. The database covers workers across various occupations and is not restricted to construction labour.
The state’s revised minimum wage rates, effective from April 1, 2026, stand at ₹585 a day for unskilled workers, ₹645 for semi-skilled, ₹711 for skilled and ₹747 for highly skilled workers. These rates are scheduled to remain unchanged till 2031.
Workers claim that many continue to earn only ₹500- ₹800 a day and say wages have failed to keep pace with the cost of food, education, healthcare, transport and housing. Whereas they allege that most women labourers get below ₹500 for the same work.
The proposed wage hike has triggered concern among contractors and sections of the construction industry.
A government construction contractor Deepesh Singh said a rise in labour costs could substantially increase the cost of residential and commercial projects.
“If labour costs rise to ₹1,000- ₹1,500 a day, contractors will have to factor the additional expenditure into project estimates. Ultimately, this could increase the cost of construction for consumers,” he said.
Workers’ representatives, however, argue that construction material, machinery and transportation costs have already increased considerably while labour rates have not risen proportionately.
Labour-rights activist Vijay Walia said the government’s minimum wage was only a statutory floor and did not prescribe an upper limit. “The wages fixed by the government are minimum wages; there is no upper limit. Actual rates can vary depending on demand, as happens in big cities where workers often receive higher wages,” Walia said.
“Such demands cannot be implemented uniformly. Even within cities, workers receive different wages depending on the nature of work and demand. It is difficult to organise unorganised labourers on such a large scale,” he added.