More than 1,000 temporary workers at the Mahindra & Mahindra tractor unit in Hingna MIDC, near Nagpur, staged a protest outside the factory gate on Tuesday, 25 August 2026, disrupting production for part of the day.
Workers gathered outside the plant from the morning until late afternoon, raising slogans against the management and holding a sit-in. Their demands centred on provident fund (PF) and Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) benefits, job security, working hours, weekly holidays, and workplace conditions. Protesters alleged that PF deductions were not being credited to eligible employees and that basic facilities on the premises were inadequate.
A central grievance concerned job security. Workers alleged that they were being removed from employment after every three years and demanded an end to the practice, seeking greater continuity of tenure. They also raised concerns over workplace safety and extended working hours, and pressed for benefits in line with labour laws.
According to sources cited in local reporting, company officials told the workers they would consider the demands but sought two months to resolve the issues. That timeline was unacceptable to the protesters, who said the agitation would continue until their demands were addressed. Police were deployed at the site as participation grew through the day.
At the time of reporting, Mahindra & Mahindra had not issued a formal public statement on the protest, and the figures and allegations rest on accounts from protesting workers and local reports.
The Hingna facility is part of Mahindra Tractors, a division of Mahindra & Mahindra and one of the largest tractor manufacturers by volume. The protest reflects wider tensions in Indian manufacturing over the use of temporary and fixed-term labour, PF and ESIC compliance, and the security of tenure for workers engaged outside permanent rolls. India’s new labour codes, which came into force in November 2025, extended social-security parity to fixed-term employees, a backdrop against which such disputes are drawing closer scrutiny.
