Gujarat diamond workers demand fairer share of sparkle

LACKLUSTRE AFFAIR: Gujarat's diamond workers barely able to make ends meet with their wage.

Other stories in the section:

Sanjeev Nanda gets 5-year jail term in hit-and-run case

Sanjeev Nanda was found guilty in the case earlier this week.

• Inflation control steps not to hurt growth:PM

• Chiru attends inter-caste marriage, sparks row

Featured Blog

Rajdeep Sardesai

Tale of Two Azmis

Featured Slideshows

Related Headlines

powered by

• Business of terror hits Surat's diamond economy
• No diamond glitters for Modi in this election
• Dissent in Guj BJP is taking a toll on diamond industry

Keywords: Surat Diamond Association, Diamond

Surat: A day after a protesting diamond worker was shot dead in Bhavanagar, diamond workers across Gujarat went on a strike on Monday.

For the past 15 years, 38-year-old Suresh Zalawadia, has been earning his living polishing diamonds in Surat. Now he is contemplating heading back to his native village in Amreli district.

15 years ago, he earned Rs 5000 a month. Today, with the cost of living skyrocketing his monthly wage is still a mere Rs 7000.

“Earlier, I used to save Rs 3000 a month. Today, I need to borrow money to make ends meet. I've been thinking of going back to my village and taking up farming." Zalawadia says.

Over 14 lakh diamond workers across Gujarat share Zalawadia’s plight. Now a growing desperation is driving them to violence.

The past ten days have seen violent protests in different cities of Gujarat with the diamond workers demanding higher wages. On Sunday, a protesting worker was shot and killed by a private security guard at a diamond unit in Bhavnagar.

And even though the Surat Diamond Association admits workers are underpaid, they say there are constraints.

"The demand of the labourers is genuine. The problem is with units that cut and polish small diamonds. In their case, labour costs account for 70 per cent of production cost,” Joint Secretary, Surat Diamond Association, Rohit Mehta explains.

• About 14 lakh diamond workers in Gujarat earn an average salary of about Rs 6000 a month
• There are about 12,000 units in Gujarat, of them 10,000 are in Surat alone
• The industry notches up a turnover of Rs 80,000 crore
• Of this, diamonds worth Rs 70,000 crore are exported and Rs.10,000 crore are used domestically

Gujarat accounts for nine out of ten of all the diamonds polished in the world. So, what the workers are asking for is a fairer share of the sparkle.