Biratnagar Jute Mills Employees Demand Unpaid Wages Following Labor Office Verdict

Biratnagar. Employees of the historic Biratnagar Jute Mills Limited have demanded payment of wages as per the decision of the Labor Office. The industry had not provided wages to the employees working there for a long time, after which a case was filed in the labor court. Even after the court ruled in favor of the employees, they have not received the wages they are supposed to get, and today (Monday) they submitted a memorandum to the District Administration Office, Morang. Through the memorandum addressed to the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply, the employees have demanded immediate payment of the outstanding amount for years. Wages for the period from Jestha 1, 2073 to Mangsir, 2077 are due for payment to 46 workers and employees of various levels working in the mill. The employees have demanded payment of a total of 3 crore 2 lakh 13 thousand 923 rupees and 22 paisa for the said period. According to Tara Nath Timilsina, administration officer of the mill, the government and management have not paid wages amounting to approximately 3 crore rupees for 46 employees. Earlier, the Labor Office Morang had already ruled in favor of the employees on Poush 18, 2076. Since that decision has not been implemented, the employees have been approaching various bodies. As mentioned in the memorandum submitted on Baisakh 21, 2081, the general meeting of Jute Mills held on Chaitra 21, 2081 has also approved the said amount. 'We have not received the value of our sweat for a long time,' the memorandum states, 'Even though the labor office's decision and the general meeting's resolution have been made, the administration is delaying the payment of the amount.' The employees have stated that they have already submitted applications to the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers' Office, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Industry multiple times and have attached 17 different documentary evidence. The memorandum was submitted by Yog Bahadur Subba, Public Relations In-charge of Biratnagar Jute Mill, Accountant Shyam Kumar Lama, and Administration Officer Tara Nath Timilsina, among others. They have warned that if the amount is not paid immediately as per the decision of the labor court and office, they will proceed with further legal and street protest programs. A copy of this has also been sent to the Labor Office Morang and the Federation of Nepali Journalists.