Labor office calls meeting to solve Unilever dispute

KATHMANDU, Feb 10: 

The Labor Office of Hetauda has called on protesting workers and the management officials of one of the units of Unilever Nepal to hold a meeting on Friday to settle the wage-related dispute at the factory. 

This is the first intervention by the government toward resolving the tension at the factory that led to its closure on Sunday. 

"We have already informed the management as well as two active trade unions of the factory about the meeting," Man Bahadur Bishwokarma, director general of Department of Labor, said. 

The office has also invited officials of district office, district development committee, members of leading trade unions and Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry to join in the talks to play a mediatory role. 

"We hope the meeting will be able to solve the workplace dispute," Bishwokarma said.

The Basamadi Factory of Unilever Nepal has remained closed since Sunday after the workers of the factory launched a strike demanding 50 percent hike in salary and allowances, interest free housing loan of Rs 1 million per person and house maintenance fee of Rs 100,000 per person per year.

The Unilever management has said the demands were placed at a time when the total remuneration of staff was raised by 69 percent between 2009 and 2011, as against rise in company´s profit of 37.3 percent during the same period. 

These demands were placed in front of the management in the first week of November. Since then 21 rounds of talks have taken place between the management and workers. 

The Basamadi factory manufactures Lux and Lifebuoy brands of toilet soaps, and Pepsodent and Close Up toothpastes.

Source: Republica