Protests erupt in Faridabad, Palwal as factory workers demand minimum wage hike

Around 7,500 workers participated in the protests, according to district administration officials.

Updated on: Apr 14, 2026, 11:17:34 IST

By Debashish Karmakar

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Thousands of workers in Palwal and Faridabad staged protests in their respective areas on Monday, alleging that factory managements had not issued any notification on the minimum wage hike announced by the Haryana government last week. Around 7,500 workers participated in the protests, according to district administration officials.

This comes days after similar protests at IMT Manesar, an industrial hub, where workers demanded revised compensation as per the Centre’s new labour law. (Photo for representation) (REUTERS)

In Palwal, protesting workers were cleared from the highway by police. In Faridabad, they were pacified by labour department and district administration officials after being assured that they would receive the increased wages from April 1.

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This comes days after similar protests at IMT Manesar, an industrial hub, where workers demanded revised compensation as per the Centre’s new labour laws. On Thursday, the Haryana government notified a 35% wage hike across categories, effective April 1, 2026.

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At least 3,200 workers in Palwal’s Prithla blocked the Agra-Delhi highway for nearly two hours, causing traffic snarls, according to labour department officials. The blockade was later cleared by police.

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) general secretary (Haryana) Jai Bhagwan said, “Factory managements are not issuing any circulars for workers, resulting in mistrust.”

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Officials said the protests occurred due to absence of communication between workers and company management and rumours. Faridabad deputy commissioner Ayush Sinha said directions have been issued to all industries to communicate workers that the wage hike under the government notification will be effective April 1.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debashish Karmakar
Debashish Karmakar is a principal correspondent with the Hindustan Times, Gurugram bureau. He has a vast journalistic experience of almost 14 years of covering crime, court, power, transport, administration, weather and other beats while working across various organisations. He has been covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh, Palwal and other districts of southern Haryana for more than four and a half years. He has produced several breaking and exclusive stories while reporting from the ground where he maintains a strong presence on a daily basis. He writes news articles which are hard-hitting and accurate. With his strong bureaucratic sources, he frequently writes stories to expose the failure of the system forcing authorities to take necessary course-corrective steps. Besides crime, important convictions and court orders, he also writes on human-angle stories, on power issues and challenges faced by the residents on a daily basis in Gurugram and neighbouring areas. In the past, he worked for media houses like The Times of India, where he extensively reported on important government matters and daily proceedings at the Patna High Court. He has also worked in the electronic media and had done ground coverage on the Kedarnath deluge that wrecked Uttarakhand in 2013.Read More

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