Diamonds are forever, not strike, say many

The agitation by diamond workers over 20 percent wage hike entered the fifth day today with many of the factories in Varachha and Kapodara continuing to down their shutters. The already seething issue attained a more serious angle when antisocial elements circulated pamphlets in the name of Diamond Workers Association, threatening the total boycott of work by workers unless factory owners hiked wages by 30 per cent.

However, diamond associations are hopeful that the strike will end soon and something positive will come out of it.

It was the Surat Diamond Association that noticed the pamphlets issued by anti socials. These handwritten pamphlets were seen widely distributed in different areas and threatened a prolonged and violent agitation if the workers' demands were not met.

The Diamond Worker Association president, Babubhai Jirawala, said: "We are regularly conducting meetings with the diamond workers having issues with their factory owners who are not convinced to hike wages by 20 percent. Till today, we have received 100 complaints from workers against their owners and majority of them have been solved. But some are still left, as the owners are out of station on business trips and the managers cannot hike wages. We are trying our level best to solve this issue by meeting the diamond workers. We expect that all the factories in Varachha and Kapodara area will be operational in a day or so."

Regarding the issue of pamphlets issued in the name of Diamond Workers Association, Jirawala said: "We are searching for those pranksters who are spoiling the peaceful atmosphere of Surat city. They just want to hot up the issue and are misguiding the innocent diamond workers. We are tracking those involved and will definitely seek police help against them."

Katargam, however, presented a different picture with majority of the factories operating. Varachha and Kapodara remained relatively peaceful on Saturday with no incident of stone pelting.

Surat Diamond Association president C P Wanani said: "We are continuously negotiating with the factory owners over this issue and majority of them have confessed about the strike affecting the production and export of diamonds. We have also found that some of the factory owners have downed shutters fearing violence. With the positive approach by the diamond workers and factory owners in Katargam, we are expecting the issue to peter out in the coming days and the factories in Kapodara and Varachha to become operational once again."