Diamond factories in Surat have been extending their Diwali breaks from 15 days to 25 days “amid ongoing slow demand from the US, Europe and China,” IDEX Online reports.
Units will remain closed from October 21 to November 15, meaning that around 1 million workers “will be forced to take 10 extra days of unpaid leave,” according to the report.
Bhavesh Tank, vice president of Gujurat’s Diamond Workers’ Union, explained in an interview to Economic Times: “Diwali holidays have been extended so that the workers do not lose jobs. We are not paid during holidays. We get paid against the days we work.”
