KATHMANDU, MARCH 23
Workers in the tourism sector have submitted a memorandum to the minister of culture, tourism and civil aviation, demanding 40 per cent increment in their salary and action against tourism companies not abiding by the law.
A delegation comprising workers associated with UNITRAV (Union of Trekking, Travels, Rafting, Airlines, Culture, Archaeologies, Cargo Courier Workers, Nepal) submitted the 17-point memo to Minister Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal demanding revival of the tourism sector and survival of workers.
Chairperson of UNITRAV, Suman Prasad Parajuli, said that they submitted the memo, stressing the uplift of workers in the tourism sector.
Enlisting all workers in social security fund, and closure of FIT teams are some demands. UNI- TRAV has asked to end discrimination between domestic and foreign guides, discrimination during helicopter rescue and determination of salary of mountain guides.
UNITRAV has demanded prompt rescue of tourists and labourers by helicopter in emergency situations taking into account the time, situation and location, and not on the basis of which country the tourist belonged to or the insurance amount.
Similarly, it called for systematising the works of nature guides and labourers, for providing relief and collateral-free loans for the protection of the life of labourers affected by COVID-19, for ending the discrimination against women tour guides and for breaking the monopoly in the trekking routes, among others.
Minister Dhakal gave assurances that efforts would be made to address the demands for development of the tourism sector.
A version of this article appears in the print on March 24, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
