COVID-19 crisis: Ministry resorts to retrenchment

Kathmandu - The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has decided retrenchment policy in the wake of shrinking economy triggered by the COVID-19 lockdown. The offices under the ministry have begun laying off employees arguing that economic activities were reduced and income limited after the nationwide lockdown.

It is for the economical purpose, they added. Similarly, the ministry informed that it would heavily curtail the additional purchase as furniture, vehicles and repair and focus only the national pride project. The Nepal Airlines, Nepal Tourism Board, Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT), Nepal Mountaineering Academy and Lumbini Development Trust are suffering most with the lockdown and laying off the temporary and contract-based officer.

There are 30 such subordinate bodies of the tourism ministry. The Nepal Airlines did not renew the service contract with 145 employees. Similarly, Tourism Board followed suit for more than 40 employees. The PADT mentioned that it is not renewing contract for many staffs. With the suspension of domestic and international flights due to the coronavirus, Nepal Airlines suffered most that it failed to even pay the loan taken to purchase aircraft.

So, it has no option but to adopt the measure of retrenchment. The meeting of the Nepal Airlines' Board of Directors has requested the contract base employees to understand the problem after the employees protested the retrenchment. Nepal Airlines requested them, issuing a press release. There are currently five national pride projects under the ministry including Gautam Buddha International Airport, Pokhara Regional International Airport and Nijgadh International Airport.