Trekking workers padlock TAAN offices

Three trade unions of trekking workers padlocked Kathmandu-based head office and Pokhara-based regional office of Trekking Agencies´ Association of Nepal (TAAN) on Monday, citing delay in implementation of an agreement that among others include pay hike of trekking workers.

According to the agreement signed by TAAN and representatives of workers unions, the association was supposed to raise daily wage of trekking workers by Rs 200 effective from Monday.

Bhagbat Neupane, general secretary of Nepal Trekking Workers´ Union, said TAAN intentionally delayed implementation of the agreement as it was never in favor of raising daily wage of trekking workers.

TAAN officials, however, said approval of the agreement by concerned government authority is a must for implementation of the decision. “We have already sent the agreement to the Tourism Industry Division under the tourism ministry for approval,” Gangasagar Pant, CEO of TAAN, said. “We have already agreed to fulfill their demands. There is no reason why we should backtrack.”

The workers also charged the TAAN officials of twisting the spirit of agreement regarding the increment of daily wage while sending the letter to the ministry for approval.

Meanwhile, four workers were injured when a group of trekking workers close to CPN-Maoist attacked trekking workers present at TAAN head office for not informing them about the program.

source: republica,1 Oct 2012