Workers protest over wage hike at Hosiery Complex in Noida

Thousands of workers protested in Noida for better compensation after Haryana's wage hike announcement, leading to temporary traffic disruptions and police response.

Noida:Thousands of workers at the Hosiery Complex in Noida, Phase 2, staged a massive protest and pelted stones at the police on Friday, demanding revised compensation.

The crowd swelled to a thousand and started marching towards Dadri Road, briefly disrupting traffic (Sunil Ghosh / HT)

The protest was triggered after the Haryana government on Thursday announced a 35 per cent increase in minimum wages for unskilled, semi-skilled, and skilled workers with effect from April 1, 2026.

Phase 2 station house officer, Avdhesh Pratap Singh, was also suspended during a late-night crime meeting over a communication gap linked to the protest.

Workers, including women, started gathering around 10:00 am at Noida Phase 2, B block and by 12:00 pm, the crowd swelled to a thousand and started marching towards Dadri Road, disrupting traffic for a brief moment, police said.Traffic police made temporary diversions to avoid congestion.

A senior police officer said stone pelting started when teams tried to counsel the protesters. However, the situation was contained before anyone was injured.

The officer added, “The protest continued till 3:00 pm after which senior officials from the district administration, labour department, and other departments concerned held a meeting with the workers.”

Rajeev Narayan Mishra, additional commissioner of police (Law and Order), told HT, “One company each of Pradeshik Armed Constabulary (PAC) and Rapid Action Force (RAF), along with local police force, including 100 female constables and senior police officers, including the deputy commissioner of police and SHOs, were deployed to manage the situation.”

“They demanded increased compensation, bonus and leave benefits,” added Mishra.

Work remained suspended in hundreds of factories, police said, adding that no detentions were made and no FIR has been registered.

“The labour department said in a statement on Friday evening that it had considered their demands. Overtime will be from April 11, two days weekly off will be offered if anyone works on Sunday and bonus will be given by November 30. A letter regarding their demands will also be sent to higher authorities,” said Suyash Pandey, assistant labour commissioner.

“We work hard to support our families. We are only asking for fair wages as inflation rises,” said Manoj Kumar, a worker who joined the protest.

The workers have been asked to resume work from Saturday and factory owners have been directed not to fire anyone without informing the district administration, officials said.

According to the workers, they are currently receiving a minimum wage of ₹350 per day for unskilled work and ₹450 to ₹550 per day for semi-skilled and skilled work in Noida. However, they said that workers in the same in Haryana are receiving a revised minimum wage between ₹580 to ₹750 per day for different categories.