On April 12 and onwards, Noida was witness to widespread protests by frustrated industrial workers. Blue-collar workers in large numbers came out on the streets and hurled stones and set ablaze vehicles. In some places, the protesters clashed with police.

There were similar sporadic uprisings in faraway places such as Surat, Haldwani, southern industrial hubs, as well as in neighbouring Haryana towns like Baraouni, Manesar, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Bhiwandi. These were not coordinated protests. But the issues they faced were similar. Stagnating wages along with rising inflation invariably neutralised whatever was the nominal wage rise of these workers. 

How the narrative has changed from the good old days when we were reporting trade union news. No doubt, there were too many demonstrations then as well, which had led to some disruption. But then there was also an elaborate system for conciliation, collective bargain and arbitration. This gave the workers enough opportunity to seek redress at specified forums.

Under the rules imposed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime, however, there is hardly any platform to air the workers’ grievances. And there is no one to listen to their problems. This forces them to take to the only available option: sporadic protests, as has been happening in the recent years. Latest data showed that regular wages in urban areas declined by 1.2% during the Modi years.    

Compare this with an increase of 4% during the UPA rule in urban areas and 3% in rural areas between 2004-05 and 2011-12. The Periodic Labour Force Surveys also suggest a decline in real terms for casual workers, with the earnings of rural male casual workers declining by 3% per annum between 2022 and 2025 and those of their urban counterparts declining by 0.2% per annum.

Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty

Secondly, in the good old days, trade unions were led by responsible leaders who knew the rules and acted under the law. In the absence of such dispute resolution systems, now, the only option left for the workers is to take to the streets, and this often leads to violence. A chapter in a 2026 book, titled Legal and Ethical Dimensions of Contemporary Work and Education narrates how unscrupulous middle men are exploiting labour in service of the MNCs.

Consider the fate of contract workers even under the ‘formal’ industries. In 2025, about 58.2% of workers had no written job contract. And 51.7% were not eligible for any social security benefits. Not only this. More than 47% were not eligible for paid........

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