KFC, Pizza Hut to resume services from Sunday

Popular international food chains KFC, Pizza Hut and Cream Bell ice cream parlour will resume their services from Sunday.

The food chains and ice cream parlour were closed since August 14, following a dispute between the management — Devyani International Nepal — and trade union — All Nepal Revolutionary Hotel and Restaurant Workers’ Association.

"We have settled our differences, so KFC, Pizza Hut and Cream Bell ice cream parlour will reopen from Sunday," said president of the trade union at Devyani International Nepal Navaraj Bhatta.

A meeting of the officials from Devyani International Nepal and the trade union narrowed down their differences to build a conducive environment to reopen the food chain and ice cream parlour.

The management and trade union signed a three point agreement today. ccording to the agreement, both parties will obey rules and regulation of the company, the management should respect labour laws including trade union rights and the management should take action against wrong doing workers.

The management had shut KFC, Pizza Hut and Cream Bell ice cream parlour a month back alleging that the workers had manhandled human resource manager Krishna Prasad Sharma.

It had closed down its outlets as per the principle of 'No Work, No Pay'.

However, workers had refuted the allegation that workers had manhandled management staff. "Devyani International Nepal shut down KFC, Pizza Hut and Cream Bell outlets as workers were set to register a trade union," vice president of the trade union associated to CPN-Maoist Mohan Vaidhya Tika Subedi had said at the time.

Department of Labour, and Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry had attempted several times to mediate between the workers and management but the efforts had failed as both parties stuck to their points.

KFC and Pizza Hut entered Nepal on November 23, 2009, as the first multinational food chain and opened their outlet in Durbar Marg. Devyani International also opened Pizza Hut Delivery at Blue Bird in Tripureshwor last October to provide free home delivery service. The international chain employs some 180 Nepalis.

 

Workers united

KATHMANDU: Pro-Maoist hotel and restaurant workers have claimed that news relating to their division favouring UCPN-Maoist supremo Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and prime minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai is false. There is no division at All Nepal Hotel and Restaurant Workers’ Union, and a handful of people have been spreading rumours, the establishment side of the trade union said at Reporters’ Club today. "Our trade union is united and there is no division favouring either Prachanda or Dr Baburam," said coordinator of the Fourth National Convention Organising Committee Prakash Shrestha. The convention will be held in Pokhara on September 15-16. "We have already prepared for the convention and it will not be stopped following any dispute with a handful of people," he added. Meanwhile, the trade union has expelled Hom Subedi, a worker close to the Bhattarai faction, charging him with working against the trade union’s norms and values. “Hom is a master mind of the propaganda,” said president of Hotel de l’Annapurna chapter of the trade union Nar Bahadur Lamichhane.