Hetauda industries back to life

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE
The industrialists took back the keys of the shut industries which they had earlier submitted to the district administration office seeking security

HETAUDA: Industries in Hetauda Industrial Area that had remained close for the past one week resumed operation from today.

Industry workers had called a shutdown demanding pay hike since March 8, which had ground 65 industries to a halt.

Hetauda Industry Organisation Chairman Rishiram Ghimire said the entrepreneurs resumed the industries after the agitating workers agreed to return to work without any preconditions.

Ghimire informed that the industries would continue to operate as per a decision of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Nepal Industrial Area, including other related organisations.

Ghimire reiterated that the entrepreneurs could not hike the pay and perks of the workers in the local level only. However, according to Ghimire, they said they were ready to abide by any decision taken by the government over the issue.

The industrialists took back the keys of the shut industries which they had earlier submitted to the district administration office seeking security.

According to General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions’ Narayani Zone Vice Chairman Arjun Dhungel, the workers agreed to resume work at the request of the UCPN-Maoist-aligned All Nepal Trade Union Federation, CPN-UML-aligned GEFONT and Nepali Congress affiliated Trade Union Congress. However, Bishnu Rana, Chairman, All Nepal Industry Workers Association, Hetauda, informed that they will continue other form of protests till March 25. “But we won’t close the industries,” he said.

Similarly, Prakash Paudel, Coordinator, Federation of All Nepal Workers’ Association, Makwanpur, informed that the workers have postponed their scheduled protests only for the time being. “We have postponed the protests as we got the information from the centre that there would be an agreement within a week,” said Poudel. He also warned of intensifying the protests if the entrepreneurs did not hike their pay and other facilities.