Employees of Rastriya Beema Sansthan (RBS) returned to work from Sunday, ending their one and half months-long protest against the management. The agitating employees had padlocked the state-owned insurer on August 10 accusing the management of turning deaf ears to their demands. 

The employees opened padlocks of the chamber of chief administration and assistant administrator on Sunday after the management signed a three-point agreement with the employees´ unions. Talking to this daily, Chief Administrator Khadka said the employees have agreed to cooperate with the management to complete pending audits and split the state-owned insurer´s life and non-life business. RBS has not been able to audit its financial accounts for the past nine years. Similarly, its plan to split business is now many years behind schedule.

According to the three-point agreement, the management will address the demands of the workers only after works on audit and splitting business are settled. “The agreement has paved the way for RBS to make preparation for splitting its business,” Khadka said. However, RBS must seek a cabinet nod to split its business.

The employees had long been pressing the management and MoF for a number of demands, including setting up a retirement fund and increasing grade allowance to one-day salary from the current allowance that ranges from Rs 160 to 180.

The employees softened their stance after the finance ministry refused to budge on its stance of not giving extra benefits to the employees until the employees agree to cooperate with the management in auditing and splitting of business. 

Nawaraj Mudhbhari, an employee leader, said they have agreed to cooperate with the management in auditing the insurer´s financial accounts and split its business into life and non-life. “We´ve urged the management to form a committee, including representatives from workers, to address concerns of workers that may arose while splitting life and non-life business,” he added. He also said the workers returned to work also because the country is gearing up for Constituent Assembly (CA) election.

MoF had turned down the demands of the workers, arguing that the employees were already drawing benefits, including salaries of up to 23 months. However, the state-owned insurer has not audited its financial accounts for the past nine years.

Sources say the employees hampered auditing works for three fiscal years starting 2003/2004, saying that balance sheet of RBS must show that the state-owned insurer is making a profit.

Published on: 24 September 2013 | Republica