PROBLEM DUE TO POCKETLESS UNIFORM

KEDAR DAHAL

KATHMANDU, Sept 10

The instruction given by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) seven years ago to the workers involved in ground handling at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) to wear clothes without pockets had raised eyebrows.

The CIAA instruction issued after the problem of goods missing from luggage increased is going to be implemented now but the staffers are creating problems. The lower level staffers and workers have started defiance movement against the instruction that made international news. The workers at the TIA have said they will wear the uniform only if the senior officials also wear the same uniform. The ground handling department of the Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) had started work to implement the decision from August 6 but the workers have not agreed. Almost 400 workers will have to wear uniform without pockets if the instruction were to be implemented. But trade unions have started movement against the decision from Wednesday.

The unions have threatened to obstruct take off and landing of planes if the discriminatory decision were not revoked. President of the trade union under the NAC at TIA Rabin Rai accused the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and NAC management of trying to impose the CIAA instruction only on workers. “The CIAA instruction should be implemented on everyone. Otherwise, we will not accept. Those involved in corruption at the TIA are being operated by those above but this decision is being made to diver the issue. That will not be accepted,” he added. Ministry spokesperson Mohan Krishna Sapkota said the issue is old but is being implemented only now. “It is up to the NAC to manage it,” he added.

There are many problems at the TIA and the problem of missing luggage has become a norm. Many staffers are also arrested from time to time on charge of smuggling gold and foreign currency. The decision to ban clothes with pockets is being enforced on the workers who are directly connected to these scams. The provision is also brought to stop workers involved in loading and unloading of luggage from taking out valuable items from the luggage.

President of Thai Airways Trade Union Jagat Bahadur Adhikari said those who cannot stop open smuggling of gold through the TIA have their eyes on the pockets of workers in the name of controlling corruption. “They are trying to bully only the workers. This is not good,” he stated. Worker of Air India Dhan Bahadur Karki said asking the workers to wear uniform without pockets is violation of human rights. “It is not fair to stop workers from even carrying mobile phone,” he opined.

Chief of the ground support department of NAC Sudip Maharjan refuted the accusations of workers and said the decision is being implemented as per international norms. “We are talking with trade unions about how to implement the decision and it will soon be implemented. We will not step back from the decision,” he added.

General Secretary of Nepal Trekking-Travel-Rafting-Airlines Trade Union Suman Parajuli also slammed the decision. “It is not right to try to bully workers if top officials involved in corruption cannot be punished,” he added.