Over 800 employees of NiMo’s SEZ unit jobless, not paid salaries

Surat: About 200 employees of the five jewellery manufacturing units owned by billionaire Nirav Modi sat on a dharna at Surat Special Economic Zone (SurSEZ) here on Thursday. They were protesting against central government and its agencies for seizing the units and the bank accounts of Firestar group, which has rendered more than 800 workers jobless and without salary.
Owned by Nirav Modi, Firestar International Private Limited (FIPL) has five diamond units and more than 800 employees, including jewellery designers, laser cutters, stone setters, mould makers etc. The jewellery units have been shut for the last one week after the enforcement directorate (ED) launched a series of raids subsequent to the multi-crore bank scam worth Rs 11,400 crore surfaced.

Amarnath Yadav, who worked as diamond setter in Modi’s unit in SurSEZ, is spewing venom against the government. “The government seized the units, bank accounts and everything owned by Modi. We were told that the salary was deposited in the company’s accounts, but the accounts were seized by ED. Did the government think about 800 workers in SurSEZ and 1,200 workers of Firestar elsewhere in Mumbai and Surat?”

Yadav, who is employed in Modi’s unit for the last six years, said, “I have bought a one-bedroom house four years ago in Sachin and live with my family. Who is going to pay the instalment? Had our units not been sealed by the government, Modi could have repaid the loan.”

Jitu Vankhede, who works in the laser department of Modi’s jewellery units in SEZ for the last one decade, said, “It is the question of 800 people and their families. We have small kids and elderly parents to take care. Who is going to provide us job? The government should not have sealed the units or seized the bank accounts. Who is going to pay us our gratuity and other benefits?”

A jewellery setter Dipak Ingle said, “Last year, Modi had thrown a get together of all the employees and family members of Firestar in Surat. We ate and enjoyed with him. He cared for us and was paying school fees of our children. The government could have given him a chance to repay the loan. Where we will go? Who is going to pay us our pending wages?”