Gurgaon: Street vendors and trade unions staged a protest outside the Mini Secretariat on Monday, alleging harassment of vendors, delay in notifying designated vending zones, non-implementation of revised minimum wages and continued use of contractual labour in industrial units.The protestors demanded that the administration notify vending zones without further delay, stop repeated eviction and anti-encroachment drives against street vendors, implement the revised minimum wages across industries and abolish the contractual worker system. Trade unions also demanded repeal of the three labour codes, which they said were against workers’ interests.Rohtas, organisational secretary of Rehri Patri Mazdoor Union, Gurgaon, alleged that street vendors were being repeatedly targeted in the name of beautification and anti-encroachment drives. He also said the list of street-vending zones submitted by the organisation had still not been notified, leaving vendors without clarity on where they could legally conduct their business.Rohtas also alleged that officials were allowing illegal vendors to operate while taking action against those dependent on vending for their livelihood. According to him, the administration had also failed to conduct a fresh survey of street vendors. “No survey of street vendors is conducted and officials are supporting illegal vendors for their personal gain,” he alleged.Another major grievance was the functioning of the Town Vending Committee (TVC). Rohtas said the committee had not met for the past five years despite the requirement for meetings at regular intervals.The trade unions raised the issue of minimum wages alongside their demand for an end to contractual employment. Anil Pawar, president of Trade Union, Gurgaon, said the state govt had announced a substantial increase in minimum wages earlier this year following labour unrest, but many industrial units were yet to implement the revised rates. “The state govt hiked the minimum wage earlier this year and directed the industries to implement it immediately, but till now many industries have not implemented the new minimum wages,” he said.Haryana notified a nearly 35% increase in minimum wages on April 9, 2026, with the revised rates effective from April 1. The move came amid intense labour unrest in the industrial belt, including protests by contractual workers in Manesar demanding better wages and working conditions. Under the revised structure, the monthly minimum wage for an unskilled worker was raised to Rs 15,220.7, from Rs 11,274, while the rate for semi-skilled workers was fixed at Rs 16,780.7, skilled workers at Rs 18,500.8 and highly skilled workers at Rs 19,425.8.Trade unions also demanded an end to the contractual worker system in manufacturing units, arguing that it weakens workers’ bargaining power and allows employers to avoid providing workers with the wages and benefits available to regular employees.While the protesters remained outside the Mini Secretariat to press their demands, the police restrictions around the complex created a second problem for commuters. With the roads leading towards the parking area closed, traffic backed up towards Rajiv Chowk.“The road was already congested and the closure near the Mini Secretariat made the situation worse. People coming for govt work had no idea where they could enter,” said a commuter stuck in the traffic, Pradeep Kumar, a resident of Sector 14.Another commuter said the restrictions should have been planned in a way that did not completely cut off access to the govt complex. “I had come for official work at the Mini Secretariat but could not reach the complex because of the blockade. The traffic was moving extremely slowly and I eventually had to turn back,” Pramod Yadav, a resident of Sector 50, said.
