KFC, Pizza Hut workers stage sit-in

KATHMANDU:

The workers employed by Devyani International Nepal Pvt Ltd — the operator of popular brands, KFC and Pizza Hut in Kathmandu — have started staging a sit-in at Durbarmarg on Friday demanding the restaurants be reopened.

Deepak Khadka, a worker of Pizza Hut in Durbarmarg, said that they will continue to protest until the management relents to their demand.

The latest development comes after Devyani International, on June 11, approached Bagmati Regional Labour office, Kathmandu — under the Department of Labour — to send home 139 staffers from the total 155 workforce, citing its immediate plan to shut down the company.

Following the ‘dispute with the labour union on May 11’, the management had closed the restaurants indefinitely. Devyani had announced its plans to close the company unilaterally on May 15. Following the announcement, the labour union of Devyani International had appealed with the labour office, citing the unilateral decision of the management to shut down the restaurants was against the Labour Act of Nepal.

Reportedly, the labour union had even approached the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Restaurant and Bar Association Nepal (REBAN) to urge Devyani International to reconsider closing the restaurants.

According to Uday Kumar Gupta, chief of the labour office, they are preparing to call the management and the labour union for a meeting under the intermediation of the labour office to resolve the problem. However, the tripartite meeting scheduled for June 17 has been postponed for next week as the management representatives did not turn up.

Devyani has not yet started necessary procedures with Department of Industry (DoI) and Office of Company Registrar to dissolve the company.

Rohit Kohli, director of Devyani International, has said that they will initiate the process with DoI and Office of Company Registrar once the case is settled from the labour office.

Devyani was operating two restaurants at Durbarmarg (since 2009) and two others at BlueBird Mall, Tripureshwor (since 2012). It provided employment to 155 individuals.

Before the earthquake, its management had planned to open two other chains in Pulchowk of Lalitpur and Pokhara of western Nepal, as per Sitaram BK, president of the All Nepal Revolutionary Hotel and Restaurant Workers Union, Devyani International Nepal Pvt Ltd. “We are dumbfounded by the management’s sudden decision to dissolve the company.”

He refuted the accusation of management that there was dispute between the management and members of the labour union on May 11.

However, there had been stand-offs between the management and labour union since long regarding increment of salaries and extending transport facilities. The tripartite meeting that the labour office is preparing to hold will be instrumental for both parties to move ahead.

Source: THT