Baidya-affiliated trade unions gear up for agitation

KATHMANDU, JUL 12 -

The All Nepal Federation of Revolutionary Trade Unions (ANFRTU)—trade union affiliated to Mohan Baidya-led Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)—has decided to launch struggle programmes to end the contract system, daily wages system and scrap ‘no work no pay’ and ‘hire and fire’ provisions.

The decision of the ANFRTU comes at a time when other trade unions, the government and private sector have made commitment to build harmonious industrial relation, issuing a declaration concluding three days “National Labour and Employment Conference” in the Capital on Wednesday.

The announcement of the ANFRTU is seen as the move by Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) to assert its control over the trade unions where UCPN (Maoist) has stronghold.

The ANFRTU has stated that it would soon prepare a demand letter and submit it to the government and the employers.  “We will be forced to come up with a strict protest programme, if our voices are neglected,” said Ramdeep Acharya, the coordinator of the ANFRTU.

Acharya demanded that the agreement between trade unions and the government to ban strike for four years must also be annulled at the earliest. Last year, the five major trade unions and employers’ had sealed a deal to mark four years as period of industrial peace for better productivity.

Source: http://www.ekantipur.com/2012/07/12/business/baidya-affiliated-trade-unions-gear-up-for-agitation/356991/