COIMBATORE: Goldsmiths from the Coimbatore Thanganagai Thozhilalar Union (CITU) on Monday said many jewellery units in the district do not follow the minimum wages prescribed by the government. They said many of them got away with paying goldsmiths a fraction of the prescribed wage and many labourers desperate for jobs were not aware that there were laws to protect them.The union petitioned the district collector on Monday demanding that the labour inspector visit the many small gold factories in the state and check if they are following labour laws. They said many factories didn’t follow the minimum wages fixed by the government at Rs 10,300 per month or Rs 119 per gram of jewellery for the first five grams. They also said that working hours were 10 to 12 hours, instead of the government fixed eight hours.The union said designing and carving gold jewellery, once a family profession where the art and skill were passed down from generation to generation and every family member used to do a portion of the work, has become a manufacturing business now.“For the last 15 years, many jewellery companies and factories, possessing the latest technology, machinery have come up and have begun promoting machine jewellery which is cheaper and have stopped outsourcing from independent goldsmiths,” said union secretary P Chandren. “Most goldsmiths who used to work independently on a contract basis or on a piece to piece basis have now taken permanent employment with them, hoping for a stable income,” he said.The union said as a result, wages for goldsmiths had changed. “Earlier goldsmiths would take their wages or payment in the form of gold. While they used to get at least 5 gm for 100 gm of jewellery they made for simple pieces, and anywhere between 6 to 10 gm for earrings, bangles, pendants etc depending on its intricacy, now they get paid in cash or rupees instead of the actual gold,” says Chandren. “And even in terms of money, instead of getting paid Rs 119 per gm of jewellery which the government fixed wage is, they get paid Rs 20 to Rs 40 per gm,” he adds.Workers employed on a monthly salary basis were also often underpaid, said the union. “Instead of the government fixed minimum wage for all skilled work at Rs 10,300 per month, these companies, including one at Aathupaalam, pay women only Rs 4,500 to Rs 8,000. They also take attendance strictly and deduct from this salary if the employee is even two to five minutes late,” said Chandren.The union said the labour department must inspect all these smaller factories and workshops and check if the labour laws were being implemented. “Many labourers do not even know that there are laws to protect their rights,” they said. “We also demand houses for retired goldsmiths and their families and an old age pension of Rs 3,000,” stated the petition.

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