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Hotels, restaurants in Pokhara reopen after 3 days

Sunday - 24th December 2006

POKHARA, Dec 24 - The hotels and restaurants across Pokhara reopened after three days of the indefinite agitation called by the workers affiliated to the Maoist-aligned All Nepal Hotel and Restaurant Workers’ Union (ANHRU) on Sunday.

The closure was taken back following a marathon seven-hour talks with intermediation from the political parties and Pokhara Tourism Council Saturday evening at the end of which the Restaurant and Bar Association of Pokhara agreed to meet the demands of the workers.

As per the points of agreement, the workers are now entitled to a day off once a week, appointment papers, a bonus of Rs 2400 per month in addition to daily meals. Likewise, their working hours has been limited to 8-hours per day.

Restaurants and hotels affiliated to the Restaurant and Bar Association Nepal (REBAN) and the Hotel association of Nepal (HAN) had remained closed since Thursday.

Following the agreement, the 700 hotels and restaurants here under the REBAN and the HAN resumed operation from today.

"We are taking back our strike after our demands were met," secretary of ANHRU, Kaski Hari Bastakoti said, adding that the association would be holding a victory rally later today to celebrate the success of their agitation.

Stating that their 16-point demand, including hike in salaries, had not been met, the workers had embarked on the agitation.

Among other things, the workers had been demanding identity cards for hotel and restaurant workers, appointment letters, a provision of provident fund, distribution of bonus, an eight-hour duty schedule and a weekly off.

Many tourists had cut short their visits due to the workers’ agitation while tourists scheduled to visit Pokhara cancelled their bookings due to the workers’ protest programmes, tourism entrepreneurs said.


Source ekantipur