New Delhi - One person died and six were injured during protests by diamond unit workers demanding a wage hike in India's western Gujarat state, police said Sunday. More than 200,000 workers employed at diamond cutting and polishing units in the western Indian state have been on an indefinite strike since Saturday demanding a wage hike.
Hundreds of diamond workers threw stones and set some vehicles on fire in the Kumbawadi area of Bhavnagar town, about 230 km south of Gujarat's principal city Ahmedabad, an official at the city's police control room said.
There are several diamond polishing units located in the area and a private security guard employed at one of these units opened fire on the mob, killing one person and injuring six. The guard was detained and the mob dispersed, the official said.
India handles almost 90 per cent (according to pieces) of the world's diamond cutting and polishing business with the trade being controlled by Gujaratis based in Antwerp.
India imports rough diamonds and then exports them after cutting and polishing. The industry was estimated to have earned revenues of about 4.2 billion dollars in the financial year 2007-2008.
Most of India's 25,000 processing units are located in Gujarat. They employ about 700,000 skilled and unskilled workers.
The workers, who earn about 100-200 rupees (about 2.3 to 4.6 dollars) a day, are demanding a hike of at least 50 per cent given the rising costs of living.
On Friday diamond business associations in Surat, the hub of the industry, reached a settlement with local workers' unions on a wage hike of 20 per cent. This spurred workers in Bhavnagar, Ahmedabad and Amreli districts to go on an indefinite flash strike from Saturday.
Striking workers tried to force shops to put down their shutters and pelted stones in Ahmedabad on Saturday. Eight people were detained by the police. Workers also held protest marches in the Rajkot, Amreli and Bhavnagar districts. The protests continued on Sunday, but violence was reported only in Bhavnagar.
