NBL row inconclusive, talks to continue today
The talks between management and employee unions of Nepal Bank Limited (NBL)—the oldest bank in the country—remained inconclusive on Friday.
Representatives of the NBL management and two employee unions held nearly eight-hour-long talks at the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)—the central bank-- in the country but failed to reach into any conclusion. The NRB had intervened and offered to facilitate talks between the two sides after commercial transactions at the largest public sector bank were disrupted for nearly a week due to the on-going strike.
Talking to Nepalnews Saturday, president of Nepal Financial Institute Association NBL branch, Semanta Gauli, said talks remained inconclusive as the management insisted on withdrawing the strike since the negotiations were already underway. He said NBL employees from all over the country had gathered in Kathmandu to press for 55-point demands raised by the unions.
Responding to the strike, the management suspended ten union leaders. Sources close to the NBL management, however, said the Bank was ready to withdraw suspension notices provided the unions agreed to withdraw their strike and sit for negotiations on their demands.
They said resumption of services from the Bank had become crucial as major festival of the Nepalis—Teej, Dashain and Tihar—were round the corner.
“To close down the Bank on the eve of great festivals of Nepalis—just because the management and the employees have differences—would be a great disservice to our customers,” said a senior NBL official.
The NBL employees unions have been on strike since last Sunday in protest of a new employees regulation introduced by the Bank. The regulation bars officers level staff from joining the unions. The unions have said the said regulation violates trade union rights of the employees.
The bank management, however, has alleged the unions of mis-interpreting the regulations.
Talks between the two sides are to resume from 10 a. m. Saturday at the NRB central office at Baluwatar. nepalnews.com by Sep 03 05
Related News
- NBL suspends ten employees
|
