Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation of Nepal has asked to stop the agitation, saying that the employees have not been paid due to the agitation taking place in the Nepal Airlines Corporation.
In a statement issued today, the ministry said that the board of directors’ meeting could not be held due to the agitation of the employees’ union. Although no decision has been taken regarding the salary, the committee has taken many other decisions from the zoom meeting.
Besides, other administrative work of the corporation has also been stopped due to the agitation, according to a statement issued by the ministry.
The employees of the corporation have not received their salaries for the last two months. All the three employees’ unions and trade unions have been in agitation since July 2, saying that the corporation should not be taken to the company model. On June 29, the board of directors had passed a management letter to corporate the corporation without any discussion with the employees.
In the said management letter, the authorized capital of Rs. Fifty billion has been fixed at Rs. Twenty billion and the share capital has been given. Under the same framework, 51 percent share has been proposed to the government, and the remaining 49 percent to the private sector.
Of the 49 percent in the private sector, 30 percent shares have been offered to reputed foreign airlines, 14 percent to Nepali Airlines, tourism entrepreneurs, and the general public, and 5 percent to the incumbents and former employees. Employees are protesting, saying that the proposed 14 percent share is being used to feed the private airline.
The agitating employees have demanded the unconditional resignation of the general manager.
The ministry has assured the corporation that it will not proceed with the privatization process under any circumstances unless the government of Nepal gives further instructions in this regard. He also said that the ministry has no plan to privatize the corporation and immediately end the agitation.
