April 26: More than 80 percent of workers involved in the formal sector have not received salary for the month of Chaitra (mid-March to mid-April) even two weeks into the new month according to the Nepali calendar.

While announce relief for the sectors affected by coronavirus, the government has said that the companies were bound to pay the workers salary for mid-March to mid-April although it had exempted the contribution of 31 percent to the Social Security Fund during the crisis period. The government had decided to contribute the amount itself on behalf of the companies listed in the scheme.

Despite the government’s support and assurance, the private sector has not paid salary to 80 percent of the workers, according to the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT).

GEFONT has started writing letters to the industries and other business organisations of the private sector to release the salary of the workers. The umbrella organisation of workers has also warned that the withholding or payment would deteriorate working environment in the industries.

According to Kamalesh Jha, chairman of Province 2 chapter of GEFONT, some of the pharmaceutical companies have posted notices that read – “No Work No Pay”.

Although the government has clearly directed the industries to pay the workers, the companies are dilly dallying in making the payment on the pretext that they haven’t received any instruction from the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) and the banks have not released the amount, said Jha.

“Some companies have paid the workers but many others have withheld the amount under various excuses,” said Jha.

More than 95 percent of industries across the country are shut due to the lockdown imposed by the government on March 24 to prevent the spread of coronavirus.