Industrial workers in different parts of the country continue to stage protests, demanding a salary hike. The workers have shut down some industries in Hetauda to press for salary hike as well as the implementation of the government´s earlier decision on minimum wage fixation.

On the other hand, industrialists maintain that the workers have wrongly interpreted the government´s decision, which is aimed only at those who get the minimum wage determined by the state.

The government had recently published a notice in the Nepal Gazette, which stated that the factory workers will now get Rs 5,100 as the basic salary and Rs 2900 as dearness allowance per month reviewing the previous salary of Rs 6200 (basic salary of Rs 3,550 and dearness allowance of Rs 2,650) to be implemented from June 10.

The Vice-chairman of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Pashupati Murarka on Saturday said, "There is no mention of the salary increment for those who are already being paid above the new minimum wages."

Hetauda-based Super Lemicoats industry remains shut for more than a week while the workers are staging protests in different industries demanding a flat raise of Rs 1800 for all. 

The FNCCI, in a press statement on Thursday, had stated that the workers´ demand is "unsuitable". But the trade unionists do not agree. "It´s not the issue of a minimum wage. Industries should review the salary of all. When some workers, who were drawing Rs 6,200, are now getting Rs 8,000, it is not fair to ask the others to continue with the previous salary," Bishnu Rimal, the chairman of General Federation of Nepalese Trade Union (GEFONT), told Republica. However, he was quick to add that the workers and the management should settle the matter through the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). But Murarka argues that the workers are protesting without a just reason as their salary was reviewed as per the CBA some six months ago and that the CBA can only be reviewed after two years.

Rimal, on the other hand, insists that the industries should review the salary though not in fixed percentage or ratio, but at par with the annual salary hike of the civil servants. The budget for the current fiscal year has hiked the salary of the civil servants by an impressive 18 percent.

Published on: 28 July 2013 | Republica