The Surat diamond workers have given a strike call on March 30 if the Gujarat government fails to address their long-standing issues, which include a n increase in salaries, a financial package for the workers and an announcement of the Ratandeep scheme for the unemployed diamond workers, who have been laid off due to a slowdown in diamond demand in the global markets in the last two yeas. The strike call on March 30 may impact the cutting and polishing of diamonds worth Rs 500 crore.
Bhavesh Tank, vice-president of the Diamond Workers Union, Gujarat, said “We had sent a letter to the Chief Minister of the state through the Surat Collector informing him about the situation pitiful condition of the diamond workers. We had asked that their salaries should be increased and a Gem Artist Welfare Board should be formed. We had demanded that a financial package should be announced for the workers.”
The union has demanded a 30 per cent salary hike and formation of a committee for increasing the salary on a periodic basis. There are 4,000 diamond-cutting and polishing units in Surat, which employs around 8 lakh people. India cuts and polishes nine out 10 diamonds available in the global markets.
“Also, a Ratnadeep scheme should be announced for unemployed gem artists, help should be provided to the families of gem artists who commit suicide, business tax should be abolished, labour laws should be followed in the diamond industry, and a high-level committee should be formed to increase salaries according every year in tandem with rising inflation. We had said that if our demands were not met, the diamond workers would go on strike on March 30,” Tank said.
The Diamond Workers Union alleged that despite the government assuring them that the issues would be sorted within a fortnight, nothing concrete has happened. “There are still two days left. We do not want to go on a strike if the government comes up with some concrete plan for the upliftment of the condition of the workers,” Tank said.
