July 20: The hotel entrepreneurs have agreed to pay minimum monthly salary to their staffers despite the industry remaining closed since the last four months due to the lockdown imposed by the government to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The entrepreneurs have agreed to pay between Rs 4,300 to Rs 10,000 to the staffers.

Hotel Association of Nepal informed during a press conference on Sunday (July 19) that they have  agreed  pay the amount to the workers after reaching an understanding with the workers’ union.

According to HAN, this agreement will remain valid from April 13, 2020 to 31 December 2020. With this understanding, the payment issue of hotel staffers has finally been resolved.

As per the understanding, hotel employees will receive the minimum amount even if they are unable to join office or the employer is unable to provide job due to any circumstances during this period. The staffers will receive anything between Rs 4,300 to Rs 10,000 depending on the standard of the hotel where they work, informed president of HAN Srijana Rana.

The hotel industry has been completely closed due to coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown imposed since March 24. Rana said that the agreement has set a good precedent among the employers and the employees during the crisis period.

According to the understanding, deluxe and five-star hotels and resorts with more than 200 rooms will pay Rs 10,000 per month to their workers. Likewise, deluxe and five-star hotels with less than 200 rooms will pay Rs 9000 to their staffers. Similarly, four-star hotels with more than 100 rooms will pay Rs 8455 to their workers. 

Four-star hotels with less than 100 rooms will pay Rs 8000 to the employees while 3-star hotels have agreed to pay Rs 5000 per month to the workers. Likewise, two-star hotels have agreed to pay Rs 4300 to the workers while the minimum pay for employees of one-star hotels and other restaurants will be decided by the concerned parties, informed Binayak Shah, senior vice president of HAN.

Meanwhile, General Secretary of HAN Sajan Shakya said that the hotel entrepreneurs and workers’ union have also agreed to deploy staffers on need basis and in different shifts as per the requirement.

The agreement further states that the employees who wish to take voluntary retirement from service can avail all the benefits guaranteed before the lockdown period.