(Part 3/4) “My boss’s appreciation made me work hard. Sometimes the heat would be unbearable and we would work only in undergarments. I maintained production. I calculated my effort and figured the amount of labour that I needed to put in so that I could make the manager happy. I knew if the manager was happy he would go tell the boss about me. And maybe there was a chance of a promotion or a salary raise. Time went by, I worked and work. I got hurt, I bled, I was sick but I did not stop working. The good news never came. And we started talking to each other. Had the company forgotten us? Were they thinking of giving us a salary raise? What was taking them so long?

One night, the manager came fuming into our quarters. He started complaining about our ‘poor performance’. He said, “All of you are useless. If you do not perform well you can go back to wherever you came from.” All of us were shocked. It was not about only me anymore. It was an injustice for all and this incident made us closer and we formed a group. We decided we were not going to operate the machinery until the boss spoke to us about our salaries. The next day the factory remained closed. 

The manager came into the quarters and started screaming. “How dare you stop the machines. Do you think your stunt will make us increase your salary? You all can go home. I will find cheaper labour than you.” We were stunned. We did not know what to say or how to retaliate. We all knew what losing the job and going back home would mean. We all kept quiet and soon this whole thing was dismissed. 

From that day on, my heart for the job died. I no longer wanted to commit to the factory. Although I would work as required, I did not put in the extra effort. I understood that we really did not mean anything to the boss of the factory. We could be bought or thrown away at will. 

This all made me think of the simplicity of home. The cold water, the warm food, mother and father and the clay pots. After all, without a home, ambitions really do not mean much. So I humbled myself. I told myself I was going to abandon the desires of riches and return home. I did. I came home and my heart is full.
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Stories of Nepal x ICCO Cooperation South Asia x European Union in Nepal