The agitating ANTUF had announced to reopen the industries after the HCCI, which had taken part in the negotiation representing the employers, assured them of taking initiative in raising salary of workers by Rs 1,600 per month.[break]
Industries could not open on Sunday, as the MIA - an organization of industries operating inside the industrial estate - and HCCI and insisted that the workers return to work without any conditions.
More than 80 industries in Hetauda have remained closed for the last six days.
Arun Sumargi, president of HCCI, insisted that the HCCI and labor unions had only agreed to reopen the industries without any condition. “There was no agreement on raising salary by Rs 1600 as a condition to reopen industries as reported in media,” said Sumargi.
“We had only assured the trade unions that HCCI would request the MIA to raise monthly salary of workers by Rs 1,600.”
Bishnu Rana, president of All Nepal Industrial Workers Association, had said on Saturday that the workers would return to work as the employers had agreed to raise salary by Rs 1,600 per month from mid-February.
ANTUF along with worker unions of Nepali Congress and CPN-UML had announced a series of protests, including nationwide shutdown of industries, about a month ago, demanding rise in minimum wage of workers from Rs 4,600 to Rs 10,000 a month.
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