Nepal: On 13 January 2015, Ghorahai Cement Industry (GCI) stopped production due to a protest by its tipper operators. The tippers, which supply raw materials to the cement plant, have remained off the roads for the past nine days, putting pressure on Ghorahai to increase transportation charge.

"We have not been able to produce cement for the past nine days as tipper operators are not supplying raw materials to the factory," said a company official. Ghorahi Cement, which is located in Laxmipur, Dang Deokhuri District, produces Sagarmatha brand cement.

Tipper operators have asked the cement industry to increase transportation charge by US$1.49/t to US$6.48/t. They said that the cement plant has not revised its transportation charges for the past 18 months. Tipper operators launched protests after the industry refused to raise the transportation charge.

"We had been demanding revision in transportation charges for a long time," said Bharatnath Yogi, senior vice president of the Tipper Operators Committee of Dang. "We were forced launch the strike after the industry showed reluctance to address our demand."

Showing solidarity to the tipper operators' protest, truck operators have also stopped supplying cement and clinker manufactured by the industry to the market. Due to the protest, finished cement products remain in the plant's warehouses. According to a Ghorahi Cement official, 32,000t of clinker produced by the cement industry has remained unsold.

"Tipper operators have been pushing for a hike in transportation charges at a time when the price of petroleum products is coming down. This is not logical," said the Ghorahi Cement official.