NT staffers demand incentives

KATHMANDU, Sept 15: Five trade unions of Nepal Telecom (NT) on Wednesday claimed their rights over employees incentives, which was endorsed by its board, but stopped by the government on instruction of the Finance Committee of the Parliament, and demanded the government to allow distribution of incentives.



The trade unions -- Nepal Telecom Employees Union (NTEU), Nepal Telecom Workers´ Union (NTWU), Nepal Telecom Employees´ Council (NTEC), National Employees´ Organization of Nepal (NEON) and Telecom Employees´ Association of Nepal (TEAN) -- even warned of launching a strike, if the government did not fulfill their demand.[break]



The NT management had proposed to distribute about Rs 460 million as incentives to the staffs from the profit it earned in 2008/09. However, the distribution was halted after Ministry of Finance opposed the decision and the parliamentary finance committee issued instruction to the government to stop its distribution.



Organizing a press meet, the trade unions at the NT tagged the ruling of the parliamentary committee as government´s intervention, which will affect the efficiency and overall operations of the state-owned telecom service provider.



"Employees incentives is our right because it is a part of the bonus, which is our legally established rights," said TEAN President, Ashok Kumar Karna. He even argued that the Ministry of Finance, Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) and the parliamentary committee had created unnecessary troubles to them.



If the government did not allow distribution of incentives, all five trade unions of NT will launch a strike, stated NTCWU President Manil Ojha.

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