Surat Diamond Workers Union Calling for a Strike

The Diamond Worker Union Gujarat (DWUG), which represents the diamond cutters of Surat, India, has said that sector workers will go on strike indefinitely starting March 30 if its demands are not met.

As India—and Surat in particular—cuts and polishes an estimated 90% of the world’s diamonds, any work stoppage could have a major impact on the market.

The union is asking for more government relief for struggling artisans, fair wages and an end to “unjust” salary cuts, job security measures that will prevent further layoffs in the industry, and active support from industry groups like the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) to safeguard workers.

“Due to the recent recession, [hundreds of thousands] of workers have become unemployed and the salaries of workers have decreased by 50%,” the union’s vice president Bhavesh Tank tells JCK. “In Surat, 63 workers have committed suicide in about 18 months.

“The [freelance workers] in the diamond industry do not get the benefits under the labor law,” he says. “They do not get job security or social security…. While inflation is increasing here, the salaries of the workers working in the diamond industry are decreasing instead of increasing due to which the workers are trapped in a severe financial crisis and are facing great difficulty in paying their house loan installments, children’s education fees, and house rent. We have made representations to the government several times that the salaries of the workers should be increased.”

The Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council did not respond to a request for comment.