Birgunj, July 17:

Labourers yesterday locked up three proprietors of Shankar Group in their offices charging them of not meeting their demand to end contract system and not providing them with appointment letters.

Labourers padlocked proprietors of Jagadamba Enterprises of Shankar Group at Jeetpur, Anil Rugata and Ramesh Agrawal, and senior official of Jagadamba Steels at Simara, Babulal Sethiya, by locking the main gates of respective industries last evening.

Nepal Chemical and Iron Trade Union locked the Jagadamba Enterprises while cadres of the pro-Maoist All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF) locked Jagadamba Steels because the industries did not appoint labourers by providing them with appointment letter as was agreed earlier.

The trade unions have said they would not release the proprietors until their demands were met. Proprietor of Jagadamba Enterprises, Rugata said over phone that the management and representatives of trade unions had agreed on June 29 to provide appointment letters to 11 labourers, but the labourers, all of a sudden, locked him inside his office, demanding implementation of the agreement one month before the stipulated time.

Coordinator of employer committee of Chamber of Commerce and Industry Association, Birgunj, Sushil Mittal, said the proprietors had not been released till this evening. He said, they were holding talks with the labour unions to release the industrialists.

Meanwhile, ANTUF has locked Nepal Board of Golchha Organisation in Simara and the management, issuing a notice today, warned of closing the industry if it was not opened within 24 hours.

However, the labourers, affiliated to General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions, have stated that they would open the industry.