Behind all that glitters: The life of Dhaka's goldsmiths
The goldsmiths of old Dhaka continue to be underpaid and live in poor conditions as a result of non-existent health and safety regulations and a lack of accountability on the part of the owners
You could spot a gold jewellery shop from a distance, at least in our country.
Sparkling under bright lights, ornate earrings, bangles and necklaces in red, velvet boxes beckon customers from miles away.
After entering a particular shop, watch how the salespersons handle the jewellery; very gently, as if they would break otherwise.
But those who carve out these precious pieces from mere blocks of gold, their lives remain concealed behind damp, rotting walls.
Tatibazar in Old Dhaka is an area renowned for having many jewellery shops, or rather markets.
Most of these markets have factories on the top floors where the goldsmiths live and work under dismaying conditions.
Sumon Haldar, who has been a goldsmith for 20 years, said, "We have become used to being neglected. What can you do to improve our lives? Nothing."
It is not only him, the helplessness was evident in every worker we spoke to. They felt insecure about their jobs too.
"I learned about gold work with great difficulty. If I leave this job, where would I go? I cannot become a fisherman like my father," one of the goldsmiths shared with us.
Poor living condition
Upon visiting some of the factories, we saw more than six to seven people working in small rooms without windows.
One of the buildings had its water supply cut off three years ago because the owner did not pay the WASA bills.
There were leaking water drums all around and trails of dirt were all over the floor. The overpowering stench of urine coming from the bathrooms made it difficult to breathe.
The 'larger' rooms that can fit at best 10 people comfortably have more than 20 workers sardine-packed in them.
Each of them sit hunched on the floor with wooden desks in front of them. On the desk are their gold carving and designing tools.
At night, these desks are moved to make space for sleeping. The fan is only turned on at this time. There is no kitchen and the workers eat at messes.
An ambiguous wage system
There are around 8,000 goldsmiths working in more than 3,500 factories in and around Old Dhaka.
Working hours are as long as 15 hours every day with no fixed time for lunch. Their monthly income is between Tk15,000 and Tk20,000.
"For working on one bhori gold, we get a commission of three ana (one bhori is equivalent to 16 ana). An expert goldsmith can work on 10 to 12 bhori every month," Sumon said.
As the workers informed us, the recent spike in the price of gold would not really have any effect on the workers' salary.
"Despite winter being the season for highest sales of gold jewellery, this year there is not much response from customers yet." he stated, adding, "The price of gold is increasing but our standard of living is falling!"
Non-existent health and safety regulations
In one factory, we were allowed to visit the 'chemical room.'
Two workers sat on a wooden scaffold, working away. Their heads almost touched the ceiling.
Below them were drums full of sulphuric acid for washing gold jewellery.
Needless to say, none of the workers were wearing any protective gear.
Md Bulu was handling a furnace just beside them, which was in full blow. "Our forefathers worked without masks or anything and they lived just fine," he said, sounding annoyed.
He then muttered, "Ek jon malik morley koto kichu hoy, doshta sromik morley ki hoy? Kichui hoy na" (when an owner dies, there is such a big fuss. But what happens when 10 workers die? Nothing, it does not matter at all).
There is a cast iron kadhai with coal in it in front of every door. We spotted a worker who came out from a room and laid a bangle on top.
Using a crude welding torch, he then made the jewellery red hot. The welding torch, or pipe rather, hung casually from window railings. There were no fire extinguishers in sight.
Crafting gold jewellery is gruelling work and after working for years, it takes a toll on the workers' eyes and backs.
"After a few years, we need eye glasses and some of us develop breathing problems," Amit Acharya told us.
Lack of owners' accountability
Quamrul Ahsan, president, Jatio Sramik Federation and advisory member, Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies said that lack of owners' accountability combined with poor implementation of labour laws have made the situation extremely vulnerable for the goldsmiths.
"Being a part of the informal sector means they get no legal help," he said, adding, "We have been fighting to strengthen laws for informal sector workers and unionise them."
One problem he mentioned was the workers, being insecure about their jobs, do not dare to raise their voices against injustice. "They probably think any salary is better than having no salary at all."
Quamrul opined that a national minimum wage could be the solution to improve the lives of goldsmiths in Old Dhaka.
But looking at the existing situation, there seems to be no work in progress.
