Kathmandu, August 21 :

The Nepal Association of Municipal Employees’ (NAME) has launched a phasewise struggle against the government “for showing indifference towards meetings its demands”. The NAME had submitted a 21-point demand on August 14.

The NAME has been demanding that all temporary staffers and those working on contract for the last one year be given permanent appointment in respective municipalities. Some 4,000 temporary staffers are working in 58 municipalities of the nation. The employees of all the 58 municipalities of the country, including those at the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), today staged pen-downs from 10 am till 11am.

The central struggle committee stated that employees would double the time of pen-down tomorrow.

All works of the municipalities, except ambulance service, fire fighters, media and garbage collection, would be halted on Saturday, the employees said. As per the protest programme, all works, except emergency services, would be brought to a halt on August 27-29 and the Ministry of Local Development (MoLD) gheraoed on August 30.