Hundreds of workers at various aviation-related establishments in the capital including Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) went on strike from Monday morning demanding monthly dearness allowance and a month´s extra salary as festival expense.

Cleaners, trolley collectors and drivers, among others, supplied by service providers with which the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has entered into contracts turned up for work Monday but did not carry out their responsibilities. The strike affected Tribhuvan International Airport, the domestic terminal, CAAN building, Baber Mahal, and Air Cargo Division, Gairigaun, among other places.

“A total of 540 workers did not work from Monday morning despite showing up at their office so as to exert pressure for providing a monthly dearness allowance of Rs 1,200 and a month´s extra salary during festival time,” said Chudamani Bhatta, coordinator of airport area main committee of All Nepal Trade Union Federation.

Bhatta said that on July 11, CAAN executive committee had entered into an agreement to provide the dearness allowance from the month of Shrawan, apart from the festival allowance.

“But the decision was not reflected in the salary that was distributed at the end of Shrawan,” he said, adding, “The strike will continue until the agreement is honored.”

TIA General Manager Ratish Chandra Lal Suman, however, had a different interpretation of the agreement. He said the workers who went on strike are hired by the service providers.

“This is something that the workers and the service providers have to decide. On July 11, CAAN did not agree to raise the salary, but asked the service providers to adjust the workers´ demands from the service fee that CAAN pays,” Suman said.

A dialogue between TIA officials and the service providers on Monday could not resolve the problem.

“The service providers have expressed their inability to adjust the workers´ demands. We will inform the executive committee about this development,” Suman said.

Published on: 23 August 2011 | Republica