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Minimum wage fixed by the govt goes unimplemented

Government officials stay ignorant of the salary being paid to the bank account.

Ramesh Bharati

August 26, 2019

7 MIN READ

Minimum wage fixed by the govt goes unimplemented

KATHMANDU- Government of Nepal made an official announcement in the past that minimum wages of all workers in different fields across the different economic sectors will be fixed at Rs 13,450 per month.

The Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security has informed all the concerned agencies and departments with regard to the minimum salary to be deposited in the bank account of every worker at the end of the month.

Just last Friday, the ministry has issued the directive to all the organizations, institutions, small industries and to other employers in different economic sectors regarding the newly changed provisions of law related to a minimum wage of a worker.

So many Nepalese workers are staying without bank accounts in Nepal especially the labor force engaged in the construction sector.

The canteen situated in the premises of the Singha Durbar – the only demarcated administrative center of Nepal and the outsourced company operating from there has not paid minimum wages to their workers. Workers hired in the canteen and the outsourced center situated within the premises of Singh-Durbar do not have their bank-account where their salary needs to be deposited.

A woman worker who works as a gardener and a cleaner in the garden of the Singh-Durbar has been drawing just Rs 8000 for the last 3 years. She has been outsourced there to work as a gardener and a cleaner both. She does not have any bank account.

She says on condition of anonymity, “I have been sent here by Kantipur job center. I get the salary in cash as I do not have any bank account.”

Similarly, a worker employed in the canteen of the Ministry of ICT told the Khabarhub on condition of not disclosing his name that he has no bank account and does not receive a minimum wage fixed by the Government of Nepal. He receives just Rs 9,000 below the minimum wage benchmark. The canteen owner has told nothing about the bank-account and minimum wages to him.

Isn’t it a mockery of a rule when workplaces located within the premises of Singha Durbar – the administrative center of the Federal Government of Nepal are not playing minimum wages to their workers in their bank accounts? What can we expect in other parts of the country?

Unfortunately, maximum employers ignored the deadline set by the Government of Nepal as a result of which many of the employees working for them remained without bank-account till the month of Asar, last year.

So many Nepalese workers are staying without bank-accounts in Nepal especially the labor force engaged in the construction sector. Most of these workers receive their wages in cash defying the regulation and directions issued by the Government of Nepal.

Dr. Ramprasad Ghimire, Joint-Secretary of the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security confirms the news that directive from the government of Nepal in accordance with Labor Act – 2074 BS and Labor Rules and Regulations -2075 BS has been issued to all the concerned agencies and departments together with making it public through print and electronic media.

Dr. Ghimire adds further, “The breach of the essential provisions of the labor act and regulation regarding the minimum wages and other facilities so mentioned in the law will invite legal action which may include canceling the license of conducting business and trade. There is no question of compromising on minimum wages and other essential facilities to be given to workers by employers.”

All the employers within the country have been told in clear words to open the bank account of their workers and employees. It has been a year so (since last financial year) the government has issued a directive on this issue.

Now, the government has planned to ask for an ‘audit-report’ from every company, enterprise – big or small and organizations to ensure all the provisions stated above are fulfilled by them. “If the government finds any employer lacking in fulfilling these provisions including payment of salary or wage through ban-account, it will definitely invite legal action. I must reiterate,” Dr. Ghimire continues.

The first phase of the implementation of above-stated provisions was to be covered by the end of Nepali month of Asoj, 2075 BS at all the three levels of government – federal, provincial and local in all the organizations, committees, projects, institutions, and all other agencies be it owned fully or partially or operating under the government.

In the second phase, the stated provisions of minimum wages and compulsory provision of bank-account for every worker were to be completed by the end of Nepali month of Poush, 2075 BS for all the media groups – print, digital and electronic, insurance company, hotel, airlines, travel agency, cooperatives, labor supply agencies and others working in the service sectors.

Unfortunately, maximum employers ignored the deadline set by the Government of Nepal as a result of which many employees working for them remained without bank-account till the month of Asar, last year.

Article 56 of the Labor Regulation, 2075 BS clearly mentions about mandatory auditing of the labor auditing (often referred to as labor audit in short).

The Ministry of Labor has been insisting on ‘labor audit’ to be submitted by all the employers in the country. Only 4 companies employing workers of different range of skills have submitted their labor audit report with the Ministry of Labor and most of them are still playing truant.

“It is all due to the pressure of the Government of Nepal maximum number of companies operating in all the economic sectors are now conforming the directives with regard to compulsory bank-account of the employee and the observance of the rule of minimum wage to be paid to every worker,” says the spokesperson of Department of Labor and Employment.

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