UP panel to mediate between workers and factory owners

NOIDA: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday constituted a high-powered committee to address the labour unrest in the city since last week, as fresh violence broke out across multiple sectors.

The committee, chaired by the industrial and infrastructure development commissioner, will include senior officials from the MSME and labour departments, the labour commissioner as member secretary, and representatives from labour unions and industry bodies. Industries minister Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi said the panel had been tasked with examining the unrest on priority, establishing dialogue between workers and employers, and submitting its report at the earliest.




“The best interest of all stakeholders will be ensured in an amicable solution,” he said, adding that wage revision would be on the table if required.

The committee visited Noida on Monday and held ground-level meetings with company owners and workers. A senior administration official said the absence of formal worker unions was complicating the process. “We have to hold meetings individually. We held talks with 2,500 people on Monday and will continue to do so until companies and labourers reach a middle ground,” the official said.

Officials also warned of a probe into alleged “vested interests” and political motives behind the violence. DGP Rajeev Krishna cautioned of strict action against what he described as “provocative” and “external elements”.

The move comes after Monday morning saw protests turn violent as factory workers demanding a wage hike torched vehicles, including police SUVs, and vandalised property in Phase 2 and Sector 60. Stone pelting and vandalism were reported from sectors 63, 65, and 57. Police used tear gas and mild force to disperse crowds and restore order, with heavy deployment continuing across sensitive zones.

The fresh violence came despite a package of worker safeguards announced by the Noida district administration on Sunday. At a joint meeting at the Noida Authority office in Sector 6 — attended by District Magistrate Medha Rupam, Authority CEO Krishna Karunesh, and Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh, with Principal Secretary MKS Sundaram and Labour Commissioner Markandey Shahi joining virtually — the administration announced compulsory weekly offs, double pay for overtime and holiday work, annual bonuses before November 30, salary disbursal by the 10th of each month, medical cover, workplace safety measures, and a formal grievance redressal system.

Workers, however, remained firm on their primary demand of a significant wage increase. Existing wages, they argued, are insufficient to sustain a basic standard of living amid rising inflation. Workers pointed out the stark interstate wage disparity. “Haryana recently has raised its monthly minimum wage from Rs 14,000 to Rs 19,000, a 35% increase, while UP’s minimum wage remains around Rs 13,000,” a worker said.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also blamed the BJP govt for the unrest, alleging that “injustice has reached its peak” in the state. “When neighbouring states have revised minimum wages, why did the state government not do so?” he said, adding that workers had been demanding their rights for some time. In a separate post on X, Yadav said the agitation was “the result of the one-sided policy of the BJP government, which favours capitalists while exploiting ordinary working employees and salaried labourers.”

Principal Secretary Sundaram, meanwhile, said the state was in the process of revising labour laws to strengthen provisions on minimum wages, timely and full payment, equal pay for equal work, overtime compensation, regulated working hours, and social security benefits, including EPF and ESI.

Additional labour commissioner (GB Nagar) Rakesh Dwivedi said the govt’s directives were being communicated to workers on the ground. “Some workers are protesting, and we are talking to them to address their problems,” he said.

Later in the day, the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority also convened a meeting with the district administration, police, and industry operators. Additional CEO Saumya Srivastava informed industrial representatives of the administration’s fresh directives.
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