Trade unions‚ civil society plan to forge alliance for workers' rights
Yadav Raj Joshi
"Will work to build worker friendly policies and programmes by lobbying to ratify ILO conventions"
Trade unions and non-governmental organisations have decided to build a greater alliance to promote decent work at home and abroad. Three major trade unions — Nepal Trade Union Congress-Independent, All Nepal Trade Union Federation, and General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions — and over a dozen civil society organisations have shown their commitment to work together by forging an alliance.
“We believe that there is an absolute need for a greater alliance to promote decent work in all labour sectors,” said executive director at Youth Action Nepal Bishnu Khatri. According to him, the greater alliance will facilitate small rights groups to use their rights and enter the informal sector. “Trade unions have access to formal sector but the sector only covers around 10 per cent of the total 1.17 million labour force of the country.”
Therefore, we have to reach out to other sectors like home-based workers and domestic workers, Khatri added. About 2.2 million Nepalis are believed to be working as home-based workers and 200,000 as domestic workers. Similarly, about 244,000 Nepali women are working at private homes in foreign nations, mainly Gulf countries — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Oman and Bahrain.
The alliance will work to build worker friendly policies and programmes by lobbying to ratify International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions. “The advocacy will be evidence-based and massive awareness campaigns will also be launched across the country,” said coordinator at Pravasi Nepali Coordination Committee Parbata Adhikari.
Journalists reporting on labour, migration and human rights will be an integral part of the alliance in raising awareness and lobbying, she said, adding Nepal Labour Journalists’ Association and Human Rights Journalists’ Association will be members of alliance. “The alliance will not only use media but also encourage them to participate in campaign,” she said.
The government has ratified 11 ILO conventions but not a single one related to migrant rights has been signed so far. Similarly, government has not ratified ILO Convention 189 that envisages decent work for domestic workers. Domestic work is considered the worst form of labour in country and in major job markets — Gulf countries. Human Rights Watch has pointed out domestic work as ‘modern day slavery’ in its report in 2011.
The alliance has targeted to adopt evidence-based advocacy for labour rights. However, there are very few studies relating to workers. “If we want evidence-based advocacy for workers’ rights, there must be a strong research base. Alliance must invest on research,” said research associate at Centre for Study of Labour and Mobility Sanjaya Sharma.
According to him, the alliance must build pressure on government to invest in research. A series of researches is a must for it, he added. However, the government has not allocated budget for research.
Published on: 1 July 2013 | The Himalayan Times
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