July 9: Employees of the Druk on Net Call Centre in Changzamtog heaved a sigh of relief with the Labour and Human Resources Ministry announcing that the ministry will be paying them Nu. 3,000 per month as stipend. The employees have not been paid their salary for the last three months. About 50 employees approached the ministry for help on Monday.

On Monday they waited patiently for the Labour and Human Resources Minister to arrive. They have been waiting at the premises of Labour and Human Resources Ministry right from the morning. They have come here to submit a petition to the minister.

The call centre has around 140 employees. They have not been paid salary for three months now.

In interviews with BBS they said they have not been able to pay their rent. Some have been asked to vacate. To avoid eviction, they said they leave their apartments and roam around the town, coming back late at night when the landlord is fast asleep.

After the employees met with the Labour and Human Resource Minister, the ministry issued an order to concerned house owners requesting them not to evict the employees.

The ministry will also be providing them a stipend of Nu. 3,000 every month. The Labor Director Pema Wangda said they will receive their first stipend of Nu. 3,000 today.

The employer, the Druk on Net Call Centre, will pay their salary for the last three months. The management of the Druk on Net Call Centre said they have not been able to make the payment because of some transaction problems and they have not received payment from their clients abroad.