Coronavirus: Diamond Workers Laid Off in Surat

By John Jeffay / March 11, 2020 / www.idexonline.com / Article Link

(IDEX Online) - Diamond workers are being laid off in the Indian cutting and polishing capital Surat because of coronavirus.Smaller factories have been hardest hit by the downturn in demand, and payments being trapped in its main markets of China and Hong Kong, according to a Times of India report.Ranmal Jilariya, president of Gujarat Diamond Workers' Union, told the paper he'd met 40 diamond workers who had lost their jobs in recent days, but they were "just the tip of the iceberg".One man said his monthly wages were cut from $200 to $135, and he was fired when he challenged his boss. Another said he'd have to sell vegetables to support his family. The diamond industry employs 550,000 workers in Surat, more than half in small or medium-sized units.The Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council fears exports to Hong Kong and China will to fall by over 60% in March.

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