Kathmandu, November 23:

The agitating tailors suspended their sit-ins after a group of human rights activists said today that they would help solve the impasse between the tailors and their employer by facilitating talks between them.

Demanding that their demands be met, 500 tailors working in different shops had staged sit-ins in Putalisadak and Bagbazaar on Monday and yesterday, Jaya Bahadur Pariyar, secretary, Nepal Free Tailors’ Association (NFTA), said.

“We decided to suspend the protests for some days after a group of human rights activists told us today that they would facilitate talks with our employers,” said Pariyar.

Demanding that the tailors be given, among other things, identity cards, appointment letters, equal wages and increment, the NFTA had forwarded a charter of demands to the Nepal Cloth Merchant and Tailoring Association (NCMTA) on September 27.

The NCMTA had said on November 15 that it is ready to provide temporary identity cards and

can hold discussions on giving increments, but added that it cannot provide permanent jobs to tailors because tailoring is a temporary job.

Balkrishna Khadgi, the NCMTA chairman, said that the problem can be solved through talks.

Meanwhile, in a meeting held today, the NCMTA decided to go for talks and meet “reasonable” demands of the tailors. “We may hold talks with them in two or three days,” Khagdi said.

A group of human rights activists met the NCMTA office-bearers today, suggesting them to resolve the issues through talks.