Violent protests rocked Uttar Pradesh’s Noida on Monday and continued till Tuesday as industrial workers took to the streets to demand higher wages. Several vehicles, including police SUVs, were set on fire, public property was damaged, and incidents of stone-pelting were reported from different parts of the city.
Notably, the trigger behind the protests to tied to a move taken in neighbouring Haryana, where a hike in wages for workers was announced. However, while workers were raking up a storm in Noida, thousands of workers also held protests in Haryana’s Palwal and Faridabad on Monday following the state government’s decision to raise minimum wages across all categories.
We explain why protests were held in Haryana despite the wage increase announced.
Noida protests
The protest began after the Haryana government on Thursday declared a 35 per cent rise in minimum wages for unskilled, semi-skilled, and skilled workers, effective April 1, 2026.
Under the new structure:
- Minimum wage for unskilled workers increased from ₹11,274 to ₹15,220 per month
- Semi-skilled workers’ wages went up from ₹12,430.18 to ₹16,780.74
- Skilled and highly skilled workers also got a 35% increase
Under the new structure:
- Minimum wage for unskilled workers increased from ₹11,274 to ₹15,220 per month
- Semi-skilled workers’ wages went up from ₹12,430.18 to ₹16,780.74
- Skilled and highly skilled workers also got a 35% increase
Many workers part of the Noida protests said the wage gap is now hard to explain, especially as workers in neighbouring Haryana are earning more. They also claimed that employers are not complying with the central government's minimum wage rules, NDTV reported.
Why workers in Haryana held protests despite hike in wages
Around 7,500 workers in Palwal and Faridabad held protests in their areas on Monday. They alleged that factory managements had not released any notice on the minimum wage increase announced by the Haryana government last week, as mentioned in an earlier HT report.
Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) general secretary (Haryana) Jai Bhagwan said, “Factory managements are not issuing any circulars or notices for workers resulting in mistrust.”
At the protest site, Chandra Bhan said that, for the last six years, he has been working as a helper at the Faridabad factory for ₹9,400 per month. “The company management pasted a notice with minimum wage of ₹15,220 for unskilled worker on Monday only after we started the protesting,” he said.
Officials said the protests happened due to a lack of communication between workers and company management, along with rumours.
UP hikes wages but protests continue in Noida
Protests by workers seeking a wage increase continued in Noida on Tuesday despite the Uttar Pradesh government announcing a revised pay structure. Police filed seven FIRs and arrested nearly 350 people in connection with the violence.
For Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad, wages for unskilled workers have been increased from ₹11,313 to ₹13,690 (interim). Semi-skilled workers’ wages have risen from ₹12,445 to ₹15,059 (interim), while skilled workers will now receive ₹16,868 (interim), up from ₹13,940.