Whole Industry Trade Union Nepal (WHIN)
In the history of trade union movement of Nepal, after the first generation of movement in 1947, the workers movement was limited to enterprise and local level. The movement of 1979 along with the historical student movement rose up in several cities of Nepal like Kathmandu, Hetauda and Biratnagar. The workers involved in those movements organised first National Meeting on January 29, 1980 and formed Nepal Independent Workers Union (NIWU). This union is the oldest union of GEFONT family. First affiliate among the four founding unions of GEFONT; this affiliate was also recognised as first legally registered Trade Union Federation in Department of Labour.
After GEFONT "Line-industry Campaign' in 1995 the Nepal Independent Workers Union which organised workers of all the industry sectors, regrouped into four sector-specific National Federations. The four unions were namely, Nepal Independent Chemical- Iron Workers’ Union (NICIWU), Nepal Independent Food and Beverage Workers’ Union (NIFBWU), Independent Textile Garment Workers’ Union of Nepal (ITGWUN) and Nepal Independent Workers’ Union (NIWU). An d NIWU remained as a federation which organised sectors like Leather and shoes factory, Tobacco and cigarettes factory, brick kiln and tile factory, wood carving and handicraft industry, furniture and plywood industry, tent and tarpaulin, dry cleaning, colour lab, film industry etc.
Heeding to the present world-wide tendency of consolidating industry-unions and with the aim to increase production and productivity, improve workers’ quality of life, better equipped to safeguard worker’s right and benefit, and strengthen trade union movement, the three unions namely NIWU, NICIWU and NIFBWU have been merged into one Federation– Whole Industry Trade Union Nepal (WHIN) on May 24, 2013. The Federation is affiliated to GEFONT at national level and at international level it is affiliated to IndustriALL global union.
Affiliates Activities
WHIN Koshi Province conducts training on social security
The Whole Industry Trade Union Nepal (WHIN) Koshi Province Committee organized a training and workers’ gathering on contribution-based social security in Biratnagar on November 13.
The chief guest of the training program, General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) Koshi Province President Kishor Dhamala, discussed GEFONT’s policies and programs and its campaigns in the context of contribution-based social security.
Similarly, WHIN Central Vice President Manoj Magar provided information about labor laws and regulations in the program, while Deepak Raj Bhatta, Branch Chief of the Social Security Fund Biratnagar Office, highlighted the agenda of contribution-based social security.
The program, which was chaired by WHIN Koshi Province President Nabin Chaudhary, was conducted by Province Secretary Ganesh Magar.
WHIN wins Annapurna Vegetable’s official trade union election
General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) affiliate Whole Industry Trade Union Nepal (WHIN) has won the official trade union election held at Annapurna Vegetable, located in Parwanipur of Bara district.
In the official election held on November 14, WHIN won by securing 63 votes out of a total of 104.
The Nepal Factory Workers’ Association had secured 36 votes in the election, while 5 votes were invalid.
WHIN Bottlers Nepal Unit Committee elects Basanta Regmi as the president
The tenth convention of the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) affiliate union WHIN’s Bottlers Nepal Unit Committee Balaju was held on December 11 under the chief guestship of GEFONT Bagmati Pradesh President Ramhari Nepal.
The session elected an 11-member committee under the presidency of Basanta Regmi. WHIN Deputy General Secretary Arjun Chaulagain administered the oath of office and secrecy to the elected committee.
Uddhav Pahadi elected as chairman of WHN Unilever Unit Committee
The 14th convention of the Whole Industry Trade Union Nepal (WHIN) Unilever Unit Committee held on December 14 has elected a 9-member working committee under the chairmanship of Uddhav Pahadi.
The convention was hosted by WHIN Central President Anand Thami and was attended by leaders from GEFONT Bagmati Province Vice President Arjun Aryal, WHIN Central Secretary Gita Bhandari, and union members Binod, Saraswati Devkota, and others.
In program chaired by Unilever Unit Committee President Uddhav Pahadi and hosted by Secretary Ram Sapkota, chief guest Anand Thami welcomed and thanked the workers who had left various organizations and joined the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT), the backbone of Nepal's trade union movement.