Surat: Diamond polishers go on strike after firm owner slash wages

After the diamond polishers sought help from the Diamond Workers Union, Gujarat (DWUG) in the matter, its vice president Bhavesh Tank tried to reach the firm owner, Dineshbhai Kukadia, but in vain.

Tank said, “While we are demanding a hike in wages of diamond polishers, the diamond manufacturing companies in Surat and Navsari are reducing the wages of diamond cutters. We have requested the state government to come up with some policies to help the diamond polishers, but to date, no action has been taken. The trend of cutting wages of diamond polishers started in Surat, and in the coming days, other firms will follow it. A meeting has been arranged on Friday where we will bring forth such issues and request Shivanta Gems not to reduce wages. If the company does not agree, we will approach the Labour Department and other sources to get a decision in favour of the diamond polishers.”

Nikunj Gujaraiya (26), a diamond polisher and a resident of Kamrej in Surat, said, “Our company is into LGD (lab-grown diamonds). On Thursday morning, we saw the notice board and found that the charges for cutting and polishing diamonds were slashed. We talked to the firm manager and learnt that it was done as per an order from the firm owner. It would be difficult for us to survive. The company used to give us Rs 100 for a solitaire diamond weighing over 50 cents. We used to work on 30 to 35 such diamonds and earn Rs 1,500 to Rs 1,800 per day. The owner has reduced the size of solitaire diamonds, which now weigh between 30 and 40 cents. Thus, we will now earn Rs 700 to Rs 800 per day. Similarly, for milli diamonds, we used to earn Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 per day and now will get Rs 500 per day, as per revised wage rates. Diamond polishers can work on 60 to 70 diamonds milli diamonds per day.”

Ankit Patel, manager of Shivanta Gems, did not respond to phone calls till the press time.

It is to be noted that the diamond industry has been passing through a phase of recession since the last two years due to poor demand for polished diamonds in the international market after the Ukraine-Russia war.

Out of the ten types of polished diamonds found in the world, eight are cut and polished in Surat. With poor demand for polished diamonds at the global level, Surat’s diamond factory owners also faced problems in running their factories that indirectly affected the workforce. As per the DWUG, in the last one-and-a-half years, over 60 diamond polishers have died by suicide in Surat.

Last month, diamond polishers of two diamond factories in Navsari went on a strike, demanding a hike in their wages. Labour Department officials of Navsari and the DWUG had to intervene and convince the diamond factory owner to meet the demand of the workers.