"Hotels have to pay Rs 6,200 per month as fixed by the government otherwise we will not resume our work," said Prem Cahudhary, the chef of Hotel Global. [break]
"Salary of civil servants have been increased for them to fight inflation. But salary of we poor workers, who anyway get a pittance, has not been increased. Employers are not ready to pay us even when the government has fixed a minimum salary," said Rajan Acharya, a worker at Royal Century.
He explained that workers are trapped between two strong forces -- trade unions and hotel owners. "We are scared of losing our jobs if we strike work like this. But we have no option but to fight for due wages and the trade unions make us protest," said a worker.
Labor unrest does not seem to ebb ever since the minimum wages pact was signed between three leading trade unions and the umbrella organisation of the private sector Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI). Only, it has picked momentum and is fast moving from manufacturing sector to other sectors. Now, the labors are demanding security, adequate facility and proper working environment at their workplaces. In short, they are asking for industrial peace, which the private sector has been demanding for years.
"Employers start behaving badly once they have to increase their salary under duress. So, we are also demanding security, proper facilities and proper working environment," he said.
About a dozen hotels have agreed to pay the minimum salary of Rs 6,200 a month as fixed by the government. Trade unions of Chitwan are putting pressure on about two dozen hotels, which collect service charges from customers, to pay the minimum salary.
However, labor unions have not started similar protest in hotels of Sauraha. About 40 out of 80 hotels of Sauraha collect service charges from customers.
"We are working hard to solve the problems of the workers," said Surya Baral, district coordinator of All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF).
Until Thursday, unions closed 18 hotels in the area, scaring about a dozen other hotels to pay the minimum salary fixed by the government. Riverside Springs Resort, Hotel Gangotri Highway and Kitchen Café have agreed to raise the wages. Other hotels like Dalima Resort and Red Carpet are holding meetings on the issue, according to ANTUF.
Hotel entrepreneurs are worried as it is Tourism Year and hotels will have to face huge losses if they have to close operations even for a day. Therefore, they are requesting trade unions to resolve problems through discussions at the earliest.
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