JAIWANT PATHALIA, a diamond polisher in Amreli, says, Whenever the economy is affected, we are the first to be hit. Nobody wants to buy diamonds when there is inflation. It is always the workers who are affected. For the owners, it is just a temporary setback.
They have the wherewithal to survive a low. We live on daily wages and count every penny. They will continue to ride in their expensive cars.
For the past few years, Pathalia has been trying to organise the diamond workers of Amreli but has met with little success. He feels there is a need for labour regulations and improvement in the working conditions. The problem is that the workers dont take any initiative. They have worked like this for generations and believe this is the only way to be. In spite of seeing their fathers being denied pensions when they quit working, they are not prepared to press their demands.
Pathalia says, The workers have remained where they were 50 years ago. Owners, however, have done extremely well. Some employers are better, but most of them just want the work done and do not care much about improving peoples lives. Essentially, he says, what we need to do is change this culture of as much work as you do, that much money you make.
Pathalia says post-2008, when the diamond market took a nosedive and the cutting and polishing industry was terribly affected, they attempted to form a union so that the workers would have some forum and protection. I tried to explain that without an organisation, nothing could happen. But people here do not think like that. They work, eat lunch, work again and leave in the evening.
In recent years, some improvements have taken place in the workplace. We now sit on stools and work on tables. Earlier, we sat on the floor. They have installed proper lighting in the factories, but the conditions need to improve even more, he says.
Pathalia says some workers have started a group called Azad Seva, which helps workers get ration cards, below poverty line cards and other essential documents. Rich diamond traders get BPL cards by claiming that they are farmers. So we decided to do something. He says the diamond associations claim to work for the welfare of the worker, but actually their members are owners themselves and aspire for political posts.
The diamond trade has historically been very insular. Even if there is an incident of stealing, the authorities are never called. The problem is resolved by the owners themselves. Pathalia believes it is time the industry opened up if it wants to be treated as a legitimate industry. We are still like sweatshop workers and will always be treated like that if we do not make an effort to improve.
Diamond work has now become part of the culture here and we have benefited from these factories. Otherwise, we would have had to migrate to Mumbai or Ahmedabad, where the cost of living is so high that it would not have made sense to leave our homes. Since 2008 we have had hard times. The situation can improve only if we make an effort to change things, says Pathalia.
Anupama KatakamCOMMents
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