2 weeks Ago
Surat: Labour department officials held a meeting with representatives from various segments of the diamond industry on Wednesday to discuss wage concerns and relief measures for diamond artisans . During the meeting, industry representatives formally requested a wage increase for artisans, citing financial hardships. The meeting was called following a recent representation by industry representatives to the govt, demanding relief measures for the diamond artisans and other segments.
Prior to this, the district collector had also called a meeting to identify key concerns of workers and industry stakeholders. The meeting was attended by prominent industry and labour representatives, the convener of the All Gujarat Diamond Association (AGDA), Dinesh Navadiya; regional chairman of the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), Jayanti Savaliya; Diamond Worker Union Gujarat president, Ramesh Jilariya; vice president, Bhavesh Tank; Surat Diamond Association (SDA) president, Jagdish Khunt; president of the Lab Grown Diamond Association, Babu Vaghani; and leader of labour unions, Naishadh Desai. Deputy labour commissioner M C Karia and assistant labour commissioner S S Dubey were also present at the meeting.
"We have long been demanding a wage hike for diamond artisans. Wages have remained stagnant for years and even declined during the recent crisis, making artisans the worst affected," said Tank. "Industry leaders have acknowledged the significant drop in artisans' earnings.
There is a collective understanding that this issue needs immediate attention," said Navadiya..
