Surat, February 26 Thousands of workers deployed by L&T at the ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel plant project site in Hazira, Gujarat, resorted to vandalism on Thursday, demanding wage hikes and reduced working hours, police officials said.
Police had to use tear gas and detain workers as part of efforts to control the situation and restore normalcy at the site, Zone VII Deputy Commissioner of Police Shaifali Barwal said.
Police attempted to calm down the protesters, but the situation quickly escalated as workers began throwing stones, the official added.
"We immediately took action. We detained 20 people, and FIRs will be registered against them. We also used more than 35 tear gas shells to control the situation," the DCP said.
Several vehicles were damaged in the chaos caused by the workers, police officials at the site confirmed.
According to company sources, approximately 10,000 workers have been employed by L&T at the ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel site, which is undergoing capacity expansion from 9 million tonnes to 15 million tonnes.
They said the protests on Thursday were triggered by viral videos showing similar unrest involving L&T workers deployed at the Indian Oil refinery at Panipat after a worker died in a fall.
"A group of workers deployed by L&T at the AM/NS India Hazira plant project site gathered today to raise some demands with their employer, L&T. The L&T management is quickly addressing the situation in consultation with the workers. Local authorities are also involved in managing the situation on the ground," AM/NS said in a statement.
Currently, tight police security has been deployed at the plant, and efforts are being made to hold talks with the worker representatives to calm the situation, it said.
L&T issued a statement to the police saying that it will implement all the rules and regulations of the new labor code once the Gujarat government implements its notifications.