Glittering gloom: Diamond workers seek bailout package

The Amreli district Diamond Workers Association had submitted its list of demands to Chief Minister Narendra Modi and state Industries Minister Saurabh Patel, thrice in the past two months, and now, they have said, it is time to act.

8220;If the government doesn8217;t act now, the workers will go on a strike,8221; said ADDWA president Lalit Thummar.

At a time when 60 per cent of total 1,500 diamond polishing units in Amreli are still closed since Diwali, workers say the industry needs a boost from the government. The top priority among their pending demand is to cover this huge workforce under a health insurance scheme, provide them benefits under government housing schemes, travelling concessions, as most workers in Surat belong to Saurashtra, 20 per cent electricity subsidy for units, and free text books for the children of the workers.

The workers feel that the industry, which brings crores of forex to the state, has been badly neglected by the government all the while. 8220;The industry supports more than 25 lakh people and brings forex in crores. Still the state government has done little to support the industry,8221; said Thummar.

According to ADDWA, the units which have opened after the Diwali vacation have not been running at full capacity. 8220;Instead of the 8am to 8pm shift, units which are in operation, function only for 6 hours, from 12 to 5 pm. Halve of the 60,000 workers are still jobless, with the rest getting salary half of what they used to get before the meltdown.8221;