Noida Factories Remain Shut on Labour Day, Security Continues; Pressure Grows in Gig Economy
New Delhi: Signs of stress and adjustment are evident across India’s labour market, with industrial workers in Noida cautiously returning to work after recent unrest even as gig workers across cities report falling earnings due to oversupply.
In Noida’s industrial belt, which witnessed violent protests by factory workers in mid-April, a degree of normalcy had returned by May 1, The Indian Express reported. Factories remained largely shut on Labour Day and heavy police deployment continued, but tensions appeared to have eased.
The unrest had erupted over wage demands, with protests turning violent on April 13. In response, the Uttar Pradesh government revised minimum wages, raising monthly pay to Rs 13,690 for unskilled workers, Rs 15,059 for semi-skilled workers and Rs 16,868 for skilled workers, the report said.
Workers, however, remain uncertain about whether these revised wages will be implemented.
“We will get to know if the government’s promise is actually followed… What if the companies do not abide by the directive?” a worker, Dinesh Shrivastava, told the Express, reflecting lingering apprehension among labourers.
While some workers have found new jobs after the disruption, others said they were waiting for their next pay cycle to confirm whether employers comply with the revised wage structure.
At the same time, another report by Financial Express pointed to growing pressure on earnings in the gig economy, driven by a surge in the number of delivery workers relative to demand.
Across food delivery and quick commerce platforms, the number of active delivery partners has grown significantly faster than order volumes, leading to reduced earnings per worker.
Citing the January-March quarter results of Eternal Ltd, the newspaper reported that in food delivery, active partners rose 30% year-on-year while order growth stood at about 15%. In quick commerce, partner numbers jumped 121% compared to a 93% rise in orders.
“More part-timers are delivering, which raises active partners but reduces orders per shift,” Albinder Dhindsa, group CEO of Eternal, parent company of Zomato and Blinkit, said.
Staffing firms affirm that the imbalance has led to lower utilisation per worker and more unpredictable incomes.
“With more partners competing for the same orders, earnings have become less predictable, with lower take-home incomes in some cases,” Adecco India’s Deepesh Gupta told FE.
Per-order payouts have also declined sharply over the past two years, falling from Rs 34–42 in early 2024 to as low as Rs 10–15 in some areas by late 2025,
“There should be a floor. Payments can’t fall to Rs 10-15,” said Shaik Salauddin, founder president of the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers’ Union, as quoted by FE. “Workers are putting in longer hours to earn the same daily income,” he said.
Experts observed that while higher availability of gig workers has improved platform capacity, it has also reduced bargaining power for workers, particularly in densely populated urban markets.
Taken together, the two reports suggest a broader shift in labour conditions, with traditional industrial workers pushing for higher wages amid rising costs, while gig workers face declining incomes due to increased competition and changing platform dynamics.
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