4 days Ago
Surat: Posters calling for a strike on Sunday have been put up in areas where diamond polishing units are located and where their employees reside. These posters urge artisans to participate in a rally scheduled for the morning. The protest aims to demand economic relief and a wage hike for diamond artisans.
Notably, no organization's name is mentioned in the posters, although the strike was previously announced by the Diamond Workers' Union Gujarat (DWUG). Recently, DWUG submitted a memorandum to the district collector, outlining its demands for economic relief and increased wages for diamond artisans. Among their key requests are the establishment of the Ratna Kalakar Kalyan Board and a financial relief package.
"There has been no wage or salary hike for diamond artisans in many years, yet during every slowdown, wages are deducted. We demand secure and permanent employment, along with regular salary increments," said Bhavesh Tank, vice president of DWUG. "Following meetings convened by the district collector and labour department, we initially believed that the govt was working on a plan.
However, despite repeated appeals, no plan has been announced since we submitted our memorandum on March 10," Tank added. DWUG has also alleged that many unemployed diamond artisans have taken their own lives over the past two years due to financial distress. The crisis in the diamond industry has previously been raised by Rajya Sabha MPs from both the BJP and Congress—Govind Dholakia and Shaktisinh Gohil, respectively.
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