Summer Shutdowns for Surat Manufacturers
May 25, 25
(IDEX Online) - Diamond manufacturers in Surat are implementing summer shutdowns as demand for natural stones remains persistently weak, and the threat of hefty tariffs from the US looms.
Factories usually take their main vacation at Diwali (mid-October to mid-November) and remain open through the summer.
But the downturn has increasingly led to extended breaks at Diwali (in some cases doubling from 15 to 30 days) and the introduction of unpaid summer shutdowns.
Thousands of workers have been heading back to their hometowns as the closures take effect.
One in 10 of the city's 4,000 units have declared a 15-day summer break, according to the news website DeshGujarat, with some major units remaining shut until 6 June.
Summer vacations in the western Indian states of Maharashtra and Gujarat, are generally taken from early to mid-May through mid to late June.