Addressing the 114th International Labor Conference held in Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday, Shrestha alleged that efforts are being made to ban public sector trade unions in Nepal and that attempts are being made to not only restrict but also criminalize the right to collective bargaining.
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Binod Shrestha, president of the Joint Trade Union Coordination Centre (JTUCC), the umbrella organization of Nepal's trade unions, has drawn the attention of the international community, saying that there is increasing interference in labor rights and social dialogue in Nepal.
Addressing the 114th International Labor Conference held in Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday, Shrestha alleged that attempts are being made to ban public sector trade unions in Nepal and that collective bargaining rights are not only being curtailed but also criminalized.
He said that although Nepal was seen as an exemplary country of democracy in South Asia a decade ago, pressure on labor rights has increased now. 'Dialogue is being replaced by fear and intimidation, participation is being replaced by punishment,' he said at the conference.
Shrestha recalled that in 2006, the International Labor Organization (ILO) urged the Nepal government to restore the trade union rights of civil servants, and claimed that there are signs that the same mistakes are being repeated now. According to him, the situation in Nepal is not just a national problem but a warning of the increasing pressure on labor rights worldwide.
He pointed out the increasing trend of excluding workers from decision-making processes related to their lives in the name of “reform” in various countries and pointed out the need for the ILO to use all available mechanisms to protect labor rights. “No democracy can survive without industrial democracy and no economy can prosper without social justice,” he said.
At the conference, Chairman Shrestha claimed that social dialogue in Nepal is under serious pressure and said that the country is going through intense political turmoil. According to him, as the influence of populism increases, ‘virtual’ political debates have become more dominant than real problems.
He accused the current government of taking regressive steps in the labor sector less than a hundred days into office. According to him, work is being done to weaken tripartite structures, remove independent and elected trade union representatives and appoint people close to the government in their place.
Shrestha said that political interference is increasing in the contributory social security fund along with efforts to weaken workers' representation. He said that the increasing interference in the fund, which is run by contributions from workers and employers, is weakening the trust of workers.
He stressed that the international labor movement should unite to protect social dialogue, the right to collective bargaining and the freedom to organize. 'Silence betrays democracy and only resistance can defend it,' he told the conference.
