Diamond workers tread the road to hell

AHMEDABAD: Buyers of diamonds seem to be blissfully unaware of the fact that their priceless smiles, in reality, come for a price — the sweat of thousands of employees working under inhuman conditions within locked doors, known as sweatshops.

The sweatshops and the inhuman conditions prevalent in these came up for discussion at Gandhi Labour Institute here on Wednesday. GLI played host to a workshop on social security of diamond workers.

Employers often close the factory doors in the morning once all the labourers begin work. The labourers are not allowed to come out during working hours even in case of emergency. During the Surat floods, thousands of labourers were trapped, killing hundreds, when they were unable to come out of their locked factories and shops.

A recent study carried out revealed that 100 per cent of the diamond workers do not get any promotional or preventive benefits for social security. Nearly 43 per cent of the industry workforce suffers from ailments such as tuberculosis, lung disease, stomach problems and minor injuries. Moreover, 87 per cent of the diamond workers are being employed for more than nine months in a year.

Prakash Varadiya, 34, a diamond cutting worker from Bhavnagar, said, "Prolonged working hours followed by unhygienic conditions, along with inhuman behaviour by our employer, has made our life miserable."

"For the last 15 years, I am in this profession. I possess no other skill except that of cutting diamonds. I am forced to walk on this road to hell," lamented Varadiya.

India has no diamond mines today, but 70 per cent of the diamond cutting and polishing work in the world is carried out by thousands of skilled labourers in India. Ninety per cent of this work is being done in Gujarat in Surat, Palanpur, Ahmedabad and Bhavnagar. More than 1 million people are employed in this industry in Gujarat, contributing to a large chunk of its exports.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com