Participants of the rally urged the management to clear salary dues of the workers and bring the factory back into operation. The rally converged into a corner meet in Pulchowk.[break]
Joint struggle committee of the workers also submitted separate memorandums to district administration offices of Chitwan and Nawalparasi. The committee also submitted memorandums to Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) through Chitwan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Nepal Bank Limited through its Chitwan branch. The bank has issued Rs 1 billion in loans to the factory.
According to the committee, a total of 347 workers have not received salary since November 2010.
The factory, which was established with the assistance of Chinese government, was privatized in 1992. Golchha Group operated the factory for about two decades before announcing its closure in February 2011.
Hemraj Khanal, president of the committee, said they would launch Kathmandu centric protest in the second phase. “We will picket the head office of the factory in Kathmandu if our demands are not addressed within 15 days of the launch of the first phase of protest,” said Khanal.
The workers had started first phase of protest on Wednesday. All major political parties have expressed their solidarity with the workers´ protest.
The factory was producing an average of 1,530 tons of paper on monthly basis before its closure.
Workers have accused the management of developing residential plots by closing the factory. They have even filed complaints at labor office. The government has frozen around 35 hectares of factory land following complaint by the workers.
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