"We have called off our month-long protest programs after the agreement and all factories in eastern Nepal will resume their operation from Tuesday," said Tej Lal Karna, a member of the Maoist affiliated trade union.
As per the agreement, the government has fixed daily wage of Rs 175 and Rs 15 as advance to a worker for three months and pledged to form a task force comprising trade unions, jute mill owners, government officials and representatives from business organization to prepare report to fix wages of the workers.
Salary and allowance per month will be Rs 4600 – the rate fixed by the government – for the three-month period. Previously, the daily wage was Rs 125 for a jute worker and the trade unions were demanding a minimum wage of Rs 190 per day as per the government stipulation.
According to Karna, who participated at the five-day long negotiations, the government has agreed to provide 70 percent discount on electricity charges. The government has also agreed to provide diesel to the mills directly. As per the agreement, the government will immediately activate Kataiya-Duhabi transmission line in a bid to supply power to local industrial estate.
About 20,000 workers in nine jute mills were on agitation which was also supported by workers of more than 300 industries in the region.
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