Workers flay move to ban strike

By Bijay Babu Khatri

KATHMANDU, Dec 12 - Trade Unions have strongly reacted against the proposal tabled by the entrepreneurs to ban strikes and lockouts in industries by amending the existing Labor Act. Increasing row between the entrepreneurs and labor resulting in frequent strikes and agitation had prompted entrepreneurs to make such a proposal.

An unofficial meeting between the representatives of Employers’ Council, Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and other related organization held some weeks back, has demanded some urgent reforms in the Labor Act.

The participating entrepreneurs have stressed the need to include some provisions that empowers them to freeze salaries of the employees at the time of strikes. As per the proposed provisions, the industrial employees will have to take government permission before launching any agitation.

Employee unions are strongly preparing to resist the culmination of the entrepreneurs’ intentions into action. The major trade unions of the country have alleged that the intentions of entrepreneurs are malafide.

"Such demands of entrepreneurs will not solve all the problems, rather it would compound it," said Ramji Kuwar, secretary of Nepal Trade Union Congress (NTUC), adding, "The need for strikes and lockouts arises only when entrepreneurs refuge to take acceptable actions."

General Secreatry of GEFONT, Bishnu Rimal said that democracy does not allow the rights of workers to be taken away. If the workers’ right to call strike is taken away, it would be disastrous in the long run, he said.

On the other hand, entrepreneurs allege that workers’ demands are illegitimate at times, and they use their rights inappropriately. The only way to control the unethical exercise of their rights is to curtail their rights itself, they argue.

Chairman of Employers’ Council, Rajendra Kumar Khetan said, "Amendments in the Labor Act is the need of the hour. This is especially so in the context of industrial vulnerability to labor problems. Labor problems should be put forward through proper labor administration."

Stressing for a positive understanding between the employer and the employee, Khetan said that strikes and lockouts in the past have been against the spirit of a favorable industrial environment and negative economic growth of the nation.

Entrepreneurs claim that frequent strikes by employee force them to refrain from employing local people. They also claim that agitation in an industrial setting always reflects poorly on the domestic and foreign investment, and thus scaring them away.

"We are not trying to snatch the rights of the employees to protest. Only that, prior to launching a strike or lockout, it should be made necessary to obtain permission of the Labor Office," said Khetan. The new provisions should empower the labor administration to stop inappropriate strikes and lockouts and to fire the protestors from their jobs and also fine them, added Khetan.

However, Rimal said that while the employers can shut down industrial setting with just a week’s notice, it is not fair for laborers to file for permission for strikes and lockouts 66 days in advance. "The legal provisions should be equitable," he said.

"Taking government permission for going into strike is like the Panchayati autocracy," Rimal alleged.

Call to strengthen micro-finance laws

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Dec 12 - Participants at a one day national seminar on Role of Financial Services in Women’s Empowerment stressed upon the need for the government to strengthen laws relating to Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs), in order to enhance the quality of its services.

"While there are acts and regulations that governs the functioning of commercial banks, finance companies and cooperatives, among others, the government is yet to address the regulatory problems faced by MFIs," said G B Thapa, chairperson of Centre for Micro-Finance (CMF), which was formally launched as an organization today.

Stressing that there are no regulations to define the accountability of personnel working in MFIs, he said, "There is no way to ensure that funds used by MFIs are well allocated."

On the same occasion, Joanne Hale, Mission Director of USAID, emphasized the role played by MFIs in zealous stimulating women empowerment and capacity building, which ultimately addresses poverty alleviation, the major objective of the government.

"Women who do not have access to micro-credit are voiceless, isolated and marginalized. Access to credit facilities will bolster their entrepreneurial skills and enhance their productivity in real financial terms, and, hence, bring about economic and societal changes," she said. Similarly, F Lafreniere, Regional Director of Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI), said the problem in the Nepalese context lies not in the lack of funds but in the quality of MFIs that can work at the grassroots level for rural economic upliftment.

The seminar organized by CMF, with support from USAID, Ford Foundation and CECI.

was held with a view to disseminate the findings of two research studies on the financial services to rural women.