FNCCI to revive Industrial Relation Forum

KATHMANDU, NOV 09 -

The Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) has moved to revive the Industrial Relation Forum (IRF) which has remained dysfunctional for seven years in an effort to maintain harmonious relations between employers and employees.

The apex business body has announced the fresh move with a view to sort out differences between industrialists and workers before they hurt industrial confidence and harm the overall economy. “The forum, which will be an informal platform for continual dialogue between the workers’ representatives and employers will help to create a prosperous industrial relationship,” said Hemanta Dawadi, director general of the FNCCI.

The FNCCI has prepared a draft for the formation of the IRF by the end of the current year. The FNCCI said that trade union leaders had agreed to implement the programme and applauded the FNCCI’s step during a preliminary discussion on the draft.

As defined by the proposed draft, the IRF will have representation from employers and major trade unions in the country. The bilateral forum will meet every two months.

Officials said that in the first phase, the forum would only include government recognized trade unions, meaning the platform would be accessible to the major three trade unions -- All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF), Nepal Trade Union Congress (NTUC) and General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT). “We are also discussing the possibility of including small trade unions in the forum,” added Dawadi.

The FNCCI had conducted a similar type of forum as a project some seven years ago when its current president Suraj Vaidya chaired the Employers’ Council (EC). However, the forum didn’t last long as it failed to produce the expected results. “This time, we have envisioned running the forum for the long term and give it high priority,” said Hansha Ram Pandey, director of the EC.

Manish Agrawal, vice chairman of the EC, said that employers and workers were approaching the government every time a simple confusion emerged. “Through the forum, we will try to discuss our differences and confusions and find remedies on our own.”  Agrawal added that the IRC would be used to search common agendas and share common interests. “The forum will focus on reinstating labour-employer relations, increasing industrial productivity, producing labour force in the country, and social security and safety of workers, among others,” said Agrawal.

An FNCCI official said that the forum would also organise programmes in the long run to pursue novel dynamics in the country’s industrial sector. “We need to give a message of prosperous relations between investors and workers for successful implementation of Nepal Investment Year 2012, and the IRF has a significant role to play,” said the official.

Bishnu Remal, chairman of GEFONT, said the forum was being developed as a way of implementing the agreement made between the FNCCI and trade unions during the meeting of the Central Labour Advisory Committee (CLAC).

The recent CLAC meeting, which was chaired by Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, had decided to form a bilateral forum to resolve industrial problems related to workers and management. “With the forum, past incidences of industrial unrest due to employer-worker differences won’t be repeated,” said Remal.

Source: Kantipur