Industrialists’ Woes
DIRE warnings have come from industrialists
and businessmen regarding the state of the industrial sector. That Nepal’s economy
has been faring poorly in recent times is not news. But what the report from Federation of
Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI), submitted to Prime Minister Sher
Bahadur Deuba on Tuesday, points to is that unless some measures are taken on an urgent
basis, Nepalese industries and trade could go further downhill. Even with the measures in
place right away, some slide in the short term is inevitable. The prognosis from FNCCI is
that tourism, aviation, insurance, handicrafts and indeed the overall export trade would
possibly witness a crisis in the days to come. On top of that, it is likely to face
further downfall in investment as foreign investment is declining internationally. Timely
steps are all the more urgent to arrest the continuing downturn in the future. Not
surprisingly, the need for general peace and security tops the list of the suggestions put
forward. There is a pall of gloom in the industrial and business sector because of the
general insecurity engendered by the Maoist problem. Forceful collection of donation from
businessmen has been a norm for some time now. This has come as an additional woe for them
in these times of general recession. Then there are frequent closures and strikes that
directly affect businesses of all kinds.
One issue that industrialists and businessmen
seem to take up quite strongly is related to labour problem. They sought the Prime
Minister’s assurance that a labour law would be brought in that permits the
management to relieve employees. If there is a consensus regarding this, Mr. Deuba
assured, the government would amend the existing Labour Act in the next session of the
parliament suitably. Indeed, while strikes by labour unions for their legitimate demands
are perfectly valid, it has also been seen that some of these unions are used by different
political parties to push their agenda with vested interests. The amendment must allow
greater flexibility to the management side in industrial dispute while protecting
labourers’ rights fully. FNCCI’s proposal for constitution of an industrial
security monitoring mechanism represented by government officials and industrialists and
tradesmen is also worth considering.
Other Story
|
