Fifteen industries penalized for employing child laborers
Up to the month of Baisakh of the current fiscal year, 200 industries were inspected.
KATHMANDU: Labor and Employment Office, Hetauda, has taken action against 15 industrial enterprises for employing child laborers.
According to Chandan Narayan Shrestha, the chief of the office, a total of Rs 37,700 in fines and Rs 340,712 in compensation have been imposed on these enterprises in the current fiscal year 2080/81 within 10 months of investigation.
He informed that 22 child laborers working in various industrial enterprises have been rescued during this period.
Up to the month of Baisakh of the current fiscal year, 200 industries were inspected.
Despite compliance with labor laws in most large industrial enterprises, Shrestha provided information on deficiencies in appointment letters, minimum wages, social security, and occupational safety in small industrial enterprises.
He mentioned giving directives to improve the weak industrial enterprises identified during the inspection and conducting awareness programs for workers and managers.
The Labor and Employment Office has listed 50 small to large industrial enterprises, and Shrestha stated that 150 enterprises have been listed so far this fiscal year.
He expressed concerns about the increasing number of complaints about unpaid wages in the office.
Out of 70 wage-related complaints registered in the 10-month period of the current fiscal year, Shrestha said that 55 complaints were resolved through direct negotiation, while the process of resolving the remaining 15 complaints is ongoing.
According to him, the labor supplier company has collected revenue of NPR 68,500 through registration and renewal, Rs 37,700 in fines related to child labor, and Rs 107,853 through union registration and renewal, totaling Rs 1,078,553 in revenue during this period.
The office has informed that various awareness programs have been conducted in Makwanpur, Chitwan, and Sindhuli during this period.
