Lalitpur, June 27 :

All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF) today said the Maoist affiliated trade union would begin a struggle to end the “contract system” which is widely practiced at “organised industry and business houses.”

“The factories and business houses should provide additional benefits to the workers if the system is to be continued,” said Shalik Ram Jamkatel, the ANTUF chairman while addressing a press conference here today. “We will eliminate this contract system at all cost,” he added.

He said the industries and business houses categorised in the A grade should provide a minimum of Rs 10,000 salary to their employees, while the ones in grade B should provide Rs 7,000 and those in the grade C should provide Rs 5,000.

“The workers hired for temporary periods should fix justifiable wages making an agreement with the employees and they should also be provided dearness allowance beside other benefits.” The business companies have been categorised according to their investment, number of people involved, nature of the company and profits.

The decision was made by the central committee meeting held here recently.

The federation has strongly opposed the ‘Loktantrik’ government for encouraging capitalists and not working to provide better facilities to the workers.

When asked about their stance over the multinational companies in Nepal, Jamkatel said: “We do not agree with the way they have been operating.

However, we also do not want them to leave the country right away because a large number of Nepalis have already toiled hard for them.”

He also said the federation has requested business houses to accommodate the family members of the “martyrs who were killed during the people’s war.” He said some 10,000 people have been declared “martyr” in the past ten years of the people’s war.

Vice-chairman Badri Bajgain said the meeting has also decided to organise its fourth national conference from September 6-9 in Kathmandu besides intensifying ideological debates and forming “grand republican workers’ front.”

The federation has also decided to begin a movement if the government does not declare election to the constituent assembly and form an interim government by dissolving the parliament.