Waiting for their salaries amid heavy police deployment across Noida on Thursday, workers at a Motherson Group facility, which was at the centre of the labour unrest in mid-April, appeared unsure about the promised hike.

Following the unrest over wage demands, with protests turning violent on April 13, the Uttar Pradesh government had announced a hike in minimum wages for unskilled workers by as much as 21%, effective from April 1. Those in municipalities will receive a 15% raise while workers in other areas will see a 9% increase.

On Thursday, when companies such as Motherson were expected to disburse salaries, workers said they neither received their payslips nor saw the revised wages credited to their accounts till evening.

They said delay in salary payments by over a week was a common practice, with most companies, including Motherson, beginning disbursals only after the 7th of every month. Following the protests, the State had mandated that salaries must be paid by the 10th of every month, along with overtime wages calculated on an hourly basis at double rates.

The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Kavita (name changed), a contractual worker employed at Motherson for the past eight years, said she was yet to get her payslip. “Nor was my salary credited to my bank account,” she said. A migrant from Bihar, she is the sole breadwinner in her family.

Working conditions

“While the HR person has assured us that we will be paid the revised wages, workers are not convinced,” she added. Unskilled workers in Uttar Pradesh have been earning a minimum of ₹11,313 per month. As per the revised rates, for those employed in Noida (Gautam Buddha Nagar) and Ghaziabad, the amount is now ₹13,690.

According to the Motherson worker, very little has changed since the protests in terms of working conditions. “While a stiff competition tests our abilities and decides whether we receive incentives or promotions, copies of payslips are not given to us. We can only view them at the company office. We were also promised a remuneration of ₹1,500 for full attendance but were never paid,” she said. Several others said there was no documentary evidence guaranteeing most of these promises. They were also told they would be allowed to work overtime on an hourly basis. But workers said currently they could either opt for a full 8-hour shift with overtime provisions or no overtime at all.

Sunil (name changed), who was recruited last month, said, “The company claimed to provide double payment for overtime. However, it is unclear whether they will actually comply with it.”

Vibhuti (name changed), a recent recruit, said he had not been given any joining letter mentioning his salary or any document proving his employment.“I was told I’ll get ₹20,000, but after deductions under various heads, I will get only ₹16,000,” he said.