The Hindu Business Line : ‘No child labour employed in granite industry’

Chennai, Oct 1 The Indian granite industry is countering allegations in the European media that it is employing child labour in quarries and factories.

Indian monument manufacturers, are saying that the reports are a “manipulation of the local industry to harm the Indian stone industry. After the carpet and diamond industries, they are taking us on using child labour,” said a granite exporter.

The Indian Monument Manufacturers Association (IMMA) even went to the extent of inviting six journalists (who write on the stone industry) from Germany, Spain, Sweden and France to visit quarries in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. This was to prove that there was no child labour in the industry.

After a week’s visit to quarries and factories, Ms Barberl Hollander, Editor, Naturstein, a stone magazine in Germany, said, “We did not see any child labour. We will go back and report this to clear the misconception,” she told the manufacturers at a meeting.

A few months ago, a German magazine published a report with pictures of child labour working at Indian quarries. This became a big issue with cities such asMunich saying granite imports will be allowed from quarries not employing child labour. The city government also said an institution should certify that no child labour was working in the quarry. Other cities may follow suit, it said.

The western media campaign will not affect the Indian stone industry today, but it could in future. Some of the manufacturing units in Europe were closed down in the last few months due to competition from Indian manufacturers. “They want to stop imports from us through the child labour campaign,” said Mr K. Badrinarayanan, Patron, IMMA.

Mr R. Veeramani, Chairman, Granite, Natural Stones and Product Panel, Capexil, said in 2006-07 India exported natural stones worth $1.5 billion. Of this, exports to Europe were $19 million. Some of the stone varieties include red, black, yellow and blue, he said.

“There is a misconception that Indian stone industry is flooding European markets with low-cost products. There is no truth in this. Using the child labour issue, there is a slanderous campaign by the western media against the Indian stone industry. They did not study the situation here,” he said.

“Child labour is not prevalent in the granite industry and it will not even be possible, since the stones and machines are far too heavy. Let somebody prove that there is child labour. We will take appropriate stringent action,” he told the visiting European journalists.

On its part, the IMMA countered the claims of the western media by campaigning in German stone fairs with photographs of quarries and factories to show that there is no child labour employed. The association also said that no person below 18 years worked in the stone sector and said that the Government of India, through legislation, has banned child labour in all industries.

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