Migrant embroidery workers in Surat, India allege they are being fired and blacklisted for demanding a weekly day off, as a protest entering its third month led to the detention of more than 70 people on Oct. 15, according to local media reports.
Workers face 12-hour shifts with at most three days off a year, Frontline reported. Vishal Baghi, 25, from Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur, said he was fired in late August, the second time in under two weeks, for campaigning for leave.
The agitation began on Aug. 16 in Amroli and spread to Katargam, Sachin and other industrial areas. Unions had called on about 10,000 workers to gather at the collector’s office in Athwalines on Oct. 15 to demand a paid weekly off, an eight-hour day and wages paid by the seventh of each month. Police cited a lack of permission, The Wire reported.
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Industry representatives argue the demands would raise production costs. In late September, Surat’s Deputy Labour Commissioner directed industry associations to comply with labour laws, but unions say little has changed.
Police registered three complaints and arrested eight people over alleged violence in Amroli, with cases filed against about 500 workers, Newslaundry reported.