Hospitality industry trade unions had a busy week, forcing two Indian staff to leave the Casino Everest at The Everest Hotel and the country, and compromising to re-open the Yak &Yeti Hotel.

Officials at the Casino Everest said Indian nationals Rajesh Kataria and Kishore Sagar fled Nepal early this week after receiving explicit threats from local Maoist-aligned trade union members. "They were quite radical in their threats," said TR Bhatta, general manager of The Everest Hotel. Bhatta added that senior Maoist leadership, when asked to help, was responsive and said they deplored such behaviour. Ramesh Pant, chairman of the All Nepal Hotel and Restaurant Workers' Association, issued a statement denying his cadres involvement. "It is not our policy to threaten anyone," he stressed. Sources say union members have long-pressurised tourism industry entrepreneurs to hire only Nepali staff.

The incident comes during a severe struggle for supremacy between the Maoist trade union and the trade union aligned with CPN-UML. The Maoists are using the ceasefire and peace to expand and strengthen their organisation.
Meanwhile, after eight months of closure, Yak & Yeti Hotel has resumed operations. A settlement was finally negotiated between management and two trade unions, the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions and the All Nepal Trade Union Federation (Revolutionary). The Yak & Yeti employs 400 people and has been shut since 24 December 2005, following a stalemate in a labour dispute about a number of issues including annual raises. Twenty-one rooms were booked right after the re-opening was announced, said Shiva Ram Thapa, corporate president at the hotel. (Pic: Yak & Yeti Hotel welcomes its first guest after re-opening on Tuesday.)