Press Council employees stage sit-in over halted inflation allowance

Kathmandu—Employees of the Press Council have staged a sit-in by closing their office after the government halted the mandatory inflation allowance since Magh.

Even as the current fiscal year is nearing its end, the inflation allowance has not been received. Despite informing the ministry both verbally and in writing, there has been no response, according to the Council’s spokesperson, Deepak Khanal. “When we inform the ministry, we only get a response saying it will be addressed, but no explanation as to why it has been stopped,” he said.

It has been three days since the protest began to pressure the government, but for the past two days, the office has been closed for the sit-in, Khanal added. “We have resorted to a sit-in as our demands have not been heard,” he said.

The government provides a monthly inflation allowance of five thousand rupees to government employees. While other employees receive this allowance regularly, it has been halted for the Council for six months.

It’s not just the allowance; the employees have also not received their increased salaries on time. Although the budgeted salary increase was supposed to be provided from Shrawan, Council employees only received it from Bhadra, Khanal stated.

There is also concern that the recently increased salary, which has gone up by 21 percent, might not be disbursed on time. “It’s not just the allowance that’s been stopped; there’s discrimination in salary too. The last time the salary was increased, it was supposed to be paid from Shrawan, but it was only given from Bhadra. Now, there’s concern that the current increase might not be paid on time either,” he said. “This sit-in is also to pressure for that.”

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