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Kathmandu Wednesday November 14, 2001 Kartik 29, 2058.
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Bhrikuti Paper Mills
reopens
Post Report
CHITWAN, Nov 13 - Bhrikuti Pulps and Paper
Mills, which was shutdown since last two weeks, reopened on Tuesday after the management
assured the workers to fulfill more than 50 percent of their demands.
"Since a compromise has been reached
between the management and the workers, we have decided to return to our duty from Tuesday
onwards," informed Keshab Duwadi, coordinator of Joint Action Committee.
The workers were demanding to hike salaries
and allowances so as to make it at par with the payments of government enterprises. The
workers had staged agitation and locked the factory two weeks back to press the
management. The management, in return, had also locked the factory itself a week ago,
citing the workers’ agitation had created chaos and confusion.
According to KP Lamichhane, General Manager
at the Mills, both the parties compromised on the extra allowance equal to 12.5 percent of
the salary to the new staffs along with the old staffs.
He also informed The Kathmandu Post that an
additional allowance of rupees five hundred would be provided to all the staffs of the
factory.
Management and the workers also agreed on
gradual replacement of foreign workers from the Mills. They also agreed that along with
the insurance amount, a grant of Rs 60 thousand will be given to the worker, who becomes
victim to accident during his official duty.
The closure of the Mills, which produces an
average of 40 tons of papers daily accounting around 50 per cent of the of total national
demand, had resulted in loss of millions of rupees. Likewise, many depending industries
were also suffered with the lack of raw materials. |
