Workers' Protest: Revised Wage Hike in UP, Haryana Still Falls Below National Average
New Delhi: The revised wage hike by the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments, announced in light of a massive workers’ protest, still falls below the average daily wage at the national level, a point that protesting workers and unions have also raised. The revisions have been rejected by factory workers in both states.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday (April 13) revised the minimum wage by 21% in Noida and Ghaziabad, whereas the Haryana government had raised it by 35% earlier. Even after revision, the daily wage rate stood at Rs 582.4 and Rs 747.14 per day for unskilled and skilled workers, respectively, in Haryana. Meanwhile, in Uttar Pradesh, the new minimum wage stood at Rs 435.14 for unskilled workers and Rs 536.16 for skilled workers.
Most factory workers in India work on contractual basis. At the national level, the average minimum daily wage has increased from Rs 408 in 2016-17 to Rs 593 in 2023-24. In comparison, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana recorded a much slower growth.
According to a report by Business Standard, this is in contrast to the wage revisions at the top – of supervisors and managers who earn several times more than factory workers. In fact, in the same two states in 2023-24, their daily wages stood at Rs 5,127 in Haryana, and Rs 4,122 in Uttar Pradesh, whereas it was Rs 3,447 in Delhi, and the all-India average was Rs 3,860.
In an article for The Wire, All India Bank Employees Association joint secretary Devidas Tuljapurkar writes that the role of the government’s labour department becomes extremely important in this context. However, he says, "today this machinery has ceased to be a neutral mediator and has instead become an agency openly implementing pro-industry policies. Instead of maintaining a fair balance between workers and employers, the state machinery is siding with capitalists. As a result, the legal and administrative framework available to workers is becoming meaningless."
The discontent among factory workers had been simmering for several months, however, the most visible protests until the current one was in the private sector.
As per a 2024 Oxfam report, India was one of the bottom performers in the labour pillar, ranking lowest among the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) members. The country stood at 156 out of 164 nations.
The factory workers’ protest in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana’s industrial hubs come at a time when living costs worldwide have risen as the West Asia crisis, caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran, has curbed fuel supplies.
In Noida, after two days of dharna by contractual labour outside factories, several major roads were choked up on Monday, with traffic jams continuing until the evening. The protests turned violent as several demonstrators started pelting stones, smashing vehicles and setting some of them on fire. Over 42,000 workers had taken to the streets across 83 locations in Noida, as per officials.
Police allegedly resorted to lathi-charge, while some workers also alleged the use of tear gas. As per Gautam Buddh Nagar Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh, more than 300 individuals were arrested in connection with the protests. At least seven FIRs have been registered on the day.
The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
