The Surat unit of the Diamond workers’ Union Gujarat (DWUG) is preparing for an indefinite bandh on 30 March if their demands are not fulfilled.
The workers, including diamond polishers and their family members have submitted a memorandum to Sourabh Pardhi, district collector, Surat, seeking redressal of their grievances. They not only want higher wages, but wish for a board to be set up and compensation to be granted to the families of diamond polishers who died by suicide.
The diamond industry has been facing a lot of challenges for some time now. The last two years has witnessed a major slump with demand for polished diamonds falling significantly in the global market. With their financial situation going from bad to worse, polishers have been struggling to make ends meet. More than 55 have ended their lives unable to deal with the crisis.
With several units being shut down and the owners switching to other more lucrative businesses, many diamond polishers are without a means of livelihood. The businesses that do manage to continue employing them are not able to pay their polishers enough.
In addition to better salaries, the DWUG wants the government to grant some relief package to the families of the polishers who died by suicide and also set up a welfare board. They are seeking the implementation of strict labour laws in the diamond units and want the polishers to be exempt from professional tax.
