For Ramesh Bhadani, 36, and his peers working as craftsmen — and it is mostly men — in Surat’s diamond processing factories, vacation meant Deepavali, when workers went back to their villages in Saurashtra every year. However, this year, in May, he and many others were forced to take a two-week summer ‘vacation’, really a euphemism for unpaid leave.
Surat, an industrial and trading centre, where the East Indian Company set up its first factory in the early 17th century, is today the hub of the diamond processing industry. “Now, we have Saturday-Sunday holidays, which never happened earlier, when only Sunday was off,” says Mr. Bhadani, standing outside the factory that employs him in Varachha, an 8 sq. km area where most processing units are. He adds, “Reduced hours of working means reduced salary.”
Over the last three months, 10 diamond workers have taken their lives in the city. The Surat Diamond Workers’ Union says it was economic stress that pushed them to the drastic measure, a claim rejected by factory owners and trade bodies like the Surat Diamond Association.The union responds saying they have a list of names.
