Ensure Labour Rights

May 1 is an important occasion for working class people worldwide. This day is celebrated as International Workers’ Day. In the late 1800s, a huge labour movement had been launched in different parts of the world, including the United States, to protect the rights of the workers. Many American employees and workers had voiced against the harsh labour laws and violation of their rights, adverse working conditions and long working hours. A lot of workers had also sacrificed their lives. Promoted by the international labour movement, the day is also known as Labour Day or May Day. The date was selected in 1889 by the Marxist International Socialist Congress for political reasons. The organisation that met in Paris founded the Second International as a successor to the previous International Workingmen's Association. The gathering adopted a historic resolution for a gigantic international demonstration in support of demands raised by the working class for reducing the 16-hour workday to eight hours. This working hour has been accepted universally since then. 

Labour Day is marked with much fanfare in Nepal as well. A lot of workers affiliated to various trade unions and others celebrated the event across the nation on Sunday. Nepal is believed to have a labour force of about 16.8 million. The agriculture sector constitutes about two-thirds of the total workforce. The contribution of agriculture to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) stands at around 24 per cent. Most working-age women are believed to have been working in this sector. Owing to lack of job opportunities within the nation, millions of Nepali workers, including unskilled ones, have been working abroad. Several Gulf countries, Malaysia and South Korea are the major destinations absorbing Nepali workforce. Although there are worker-friendly laws, women are still found facing discriminations in terms of salaries, wages and other facilities in comparison to their male counterparts. 

What is dismaying is that many people, including women and children are still forced to work in bad conditions. However, Nepal has come a long way when it comes to labour laws and workers’ welfare. With the introduction and enforcement of the Labour Act, 2074, the labour sector has started becoming better as it has brought about changes in provisions related to the rights, interests, facilities, and safety of workers employed in various sectors. The political parties have also given priority to the workers in their respective local poll manifestoes as the workers always remain decisive in all the three-tier election. 

Meanwhile, President Bidya Devi Bhandari, in a message delivered on the occasion of International Labour Day 2022, called for adopting a culture of respecting labour considering the significance of labour and skills in the country’s economic development process. She wished for inspiration to all for working towards ensuring labour rights such as decent work, proper wages and social security to all workers. She also called for creating employment opportunities at home for youths and urged responsible agencies and stakeholders to make constant efforts to protect the human rights of migrant workers. Similarly, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba said that labourers' struggle and unity were vital for realising political achievements in the country. He also praised the workers for their active participation in democratic movements. He expressed his pledge to work towards ensuring constitutional rights of labourers together with their right to collective bargaining.