TNN

Kathmandu, Feb 3: Maoist trade unionists on Tuesday shut down the Manipal College of Medical Sciences, a day after they had called an indefinite strike in the teaching hospital run by the college in Pokhara town in western Kaski district.

"We are holding basic science classes at the mess hall," said Dr B M Nagpal, dean at the college. "However, classrooms have been shut down by the union."

The 15-year-old institution, set up as a collaboration between India's Manipal Group and the government of Nepal, has been targeted by the Maoist trade union because of its Indian association, the authorities feel.

"Manipal is regarded as a Jersey cow," says Nagpal. "Kick it and it will provide milk, that's the public perception. However, we had to take a stand some time and this is the time."

Though the Maoist trade union says it is fighting to get the revised minimum wages announced by the government last year, Nagpal says that was never the issue. In 2007, there was only one trade union in Manipal and it was affiliated to the then ruling Nepali Congress (NC) party. Manipal signed an agreement with the union to give a 20% pay hike to its nearly 750 non-teaching staff.

On its part, the union agreed the arrangement would be valid for two years, which means July 2009. However, last year, with the Maoists winning the election, the Maoist trade union came into existence at Manipal and began jockeying with the NC for power.

"Last month, the NC came to us demanding a NRS 2000 raise while the Maoists asked for a 40 percent hike," says Nagpal. "Though our agreement is valid till July, we still decided to negotiate and offered a hike of NRS 1500. But that's our bottom line. It's not viable for us to offer any more."

Nagpal explains that the hospital runs without any profit. "We offer a lot of concessions and keep it running just to provide support for the students," he says. "Our source of income was the tuition fees paid by the medical students. However, things have changed there."

In the past, there was a rough ratio of 65 students from abroad and 35 from Nepal. The Nepali students pay half the money foreign students do and also have 20% free seats. Due to the mushrooming of other medical colleges, now the ratio has been reversed.

"We pay higher wages than any Nepal government organisations," says Nagpal. "Our wages are also comparable with those paid by other medical colleges. People do not understand that there is a recession and it has affected us as well."