Immediately after winning the election, Balen Shah, the Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, announced that he is sensitive to waste management, that the first priority of Kathmandu Metropolitan City is the same, and that the waste management of Kathmandu Valley will be done within three and a half years.

In reality and comparatively speaking, in the last few years, the garbage of the entire Kathmandu Valley  There has been a significant improvement in the management of which the leadership of the municipalities has held the pie and should get it.  However, in the case of waste management and cleaning, there have been cracks in the coordination or implementation of agreements between municipalities (especially) with various ministries of the federal government.

It is estimated that more than half of the waste generated in the country is produced in Kathmandu. Hundreds of Nepalis are engaged and dependent on the field of waste management in Kathmandu Valley. For a long time, some locals have been involved in the garbage and cleaning business in Kathmandu Valley, including their children, in recent decades  Poor workers from different parts of the country and from India and from different castes but mainly economically disadvantaged workers are involved. Some college students are also involved in this field.

Workers with low educational level have no other option for employment, but most of them seem to embrace this profession Despite the significant contribution of the informal sector and those involved in the national economy, their rights and interests have been overshadowed by the priority of the state.

about the state of waste management in public  Although there are discussions from time to time, the labor, employment and service facilities, social security and occupational health security of the workers working in that field are often overlooked.  This article focuses on this topic . 

Job insecurity and abuse 

The workers working in the field of waste management have neither job security nor salary facilities . In the case of Kathmandu Valley, around 80 private sector organizations have collected, classified and transported the garbage to the landfill.  Compared to private companies, the contract and service facilities are comparatively better in the case of public bodies managing waste, while most of the workers in private companies are working without a contract letter.

A significant number of workers working in this field have oral contracts and those that have written ones, they are told about the agreement, contract period and service facilities. There is a situation where there is no awareness. As they often have to contact and support their supervisors and friends and relatives at work, they don't even know who their real employer is and their jobs also depend on the advice of those supervisors.

Some in this profession  As the income of those involved is insufficient for daily living in this increasingly expensive city, others work part-time. The Labor Act 2074 prohibits casual employment without a contract. Despite the provision that an employer may not employ anyone fully or partially, most of the private employers who work in this field do not give a contract . Since there is no contract, no matter how many problems they have about salary, working conditions, vacations and services, there is no system and condition for them to complain and be addressed.  

On the other hand, the government will tender and entrust a company or how the arrangement of this sector  When there was confusion about what to do, even the companies involved in this field did not see the future as sure, so they did not pay much attention to the condition of the workers and to make this sector more reasonable.  

There is still a situation, especially the workers involved in garbage collection and the drivers who take them to the landfills, regardless of holidays and mornings and evenings or hot sun or floods, have to work from dawn to dusk. The sad thing is that they don't get extra pay for working overtime on holidays and festivals.    

In the course of work, abusive words and abuse from employers and managers have become normalized  People do not want to be surrounded by the communities they live in and the houses they rent just because they are involved in the business of collecting or managing waste.  Similarly, they are facing challenges in entering restaurants and public transport. Some of them have to hide their occupation so that their relatives and neighbors don't find out. 

Worker health and safety risks    

Using masks and gloves after covid-19  As the habit grows in all of us, it is also seen in some workers who work in waste management . However, a significant number of workers do not use the necessary safety equipment such as shoes and jackets due to the fact that the employer does not provide them or they feel uncomfortable at work. Those who separate reusable or recyclable materials after waste collection are working at extreme health and safety risks. Similarly, if you look at different places along Dhobi Khola, they are working on the side of the road while separating garbage, on the one hand, they are at risk of electric shock due to vehicle collisions and coming into contact with bare electric wires or poles. ;

We have been reading and hearing news about people suffering from cancer, respiratory and skin diseases at landfill sites for the past few years . The workers working in this waste management especially  Asthma due to pneumonia in the long run, TB and other  Workers have experience with respiratory problems and skin problems.

On the other hand, this group of workers is at high risk of occupational health and safety . On the other hand, the sad thing is that most of them are not covered by insurance or social security and they are unable to take medication when they have health problems. Although some specific companies help their workers in the treatment of injuries or accidents and health problems, most of them go beyond regular training and health check-ups, but there is a trend of not treating them or incurring medical expenses until they get sick or injured. Some people are unable to join social security because they do not have citizenship. There is also a situation in which the employer does not give a contract or does not join the social security because the period of work of the workers in this field is not fixed or the workers cannot commit to a certain time in this employment .

On the other hand, in the case of organizations and self-employed who are working in agreement or coordination with the ward office in their jurisdiction and are not listed anywhere in any tax system, they have not been applied. Recently, the state has made a policy arrangement to bring informal sector workers into the scope of contribution-based social security  And although the budget for the financial year 2080/2081 has been announced, the workers involved in waste management have not been able to join. Or the government's slogan of 'social security for all' has not been able to touch this group.  

Safe and healthy workplaces for workers and good labor relations between employers and workers are said to contribute to productivity and overall economic growth  And on the same basis, in 2022, the International Labor Organization also added a safe and healthy workplace environment to its basic principles and labor rights. The constitution of our own country also provides for the basic rights of the citizens, especially the poor, the poor and the helpless. Likewise, the Labor Act 2074 and the National Occupational Safety and Health Policy 2019 have made provisions for occupational health safety in the workplace, but they have not been implemented in practice. 

At the end of the

, common people are happy when cities and settlements are clean and neat, but they have hatred towards the workers and their work, who risk their health and safety by not saying holidays and holidays in garbage management and cleanliness. There is a need for a revolutionary transformation in what is being done.  In Kathmandu, which is known to be mostly women and a little civilized and educated, the political organizations and governments that have moved forward with the goal of creating a happy Nepali with social justice had to pay attention to the condition of this group. The trade unions formed for the protection and promotion of the rights of labor, workers and their social security are also necessary to be focused on the proper management of this sector and the rights and interests of the workers and not only to reach various positions of the state by making it a ladder and to fulfill other personal and vested interests.  .