District Magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar, Medha Roopam, on Tuesday announced a set of labour welfare measures after recent violent protests by workers in Noida. She urged workers to maintain peace, stressing that “violence is not the answer.”
Addressing the media, Roopam said she appreciated the Chief Minister and a high-powered committee for approving workers’ key demand for a wage hike. She also announced that several new directives have been put in place to improve labour conditions, including ensuring monthly wages are credited to workers’ bank accounts by the 10th of every month.
She further said bonuses will be disbursed before November each year, while overtime work and duty on weekly holidays will now be paid at double rates. Roopam added that Internal Complaints Committees to address sexual harassment will be set up at all workplaces, headed by women, and complaint boxes will also be installed.
Appealing for calm, she reiterated that authorities are committed to maintaining law and order in Gautam Buddha Nagar. She also said helpline and control room numbers have been issued for workers to register complaints, which will be acted upon promptly.
Principal Secretary of the Labour and Employment Department, Shanmuga Sundaram MK, said the government consulted all stakeholders before finalising the decisions. He noted that discussions were held with both workers and industry representatives to strike a balanced approach, in line with the Chief Minister’s directive to consider all sections of society.
Earlier, Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner Deepak Kumar said workers had been demanding higher wages due to rising inflation and claimed that some of the violence involved “outsiders.”
The unrest took place at the Hosiery Complex in Phase 2 of Noida, where protests over wage demands escalated into clashes with police, including stone pelting and arson. Police said more than 300 people have been arrested and several FIRs have been registered.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government has announced an interim wage increase of about 21% for workers in Gautam Buddha Nagar and Ghaziabad, effective from April 1, as efforts continue to restore order and address labour concerns.
(With inputs from ANI)