The employee unions, who have been protesting at Nepalgunj Medical College since December 11, have submitted a memorandum to the Minister of Health and Population of the Government of Nepal Honorable Pradeep Poudel on December 27.

They had held talks with the management on June 18, but after being unable to reach a conclusion despite repeated discussions, they went on strike after completing the legal process. Minister Poudel, while receiving the memorandum, said that he was aware of the protest here and would take the initiative to resolve it as soon as possible. Minister Poudel said that the decision taken on December 12 was a decision taken by the previous minister and that he was going to implement the decision.

Similarly, since employees working in the health sector are different from other civil servants, their service facilities should be different, that is, they should be more, and the ministry's secretary-level decisions will be implemented in all government, private, and community hospitals, Minister Poudel said, according to Ratna Giri, coordinator of the protesters’ central steering committee.

The protesting employees submitted the memorandum on the occasion of Health and Population Minister Poudel's visit to Nepalgunj to inaugurate a separate ward for the treatment of sickle cell disease patients at Bheri Hospital in Banke.

During the submission of the memorandum, a member of the negotiation team Narayan Prasad Pokharel, read out the memorandum, while the coordinator of the negotiation team Ratna Giri, and members Yama Bahadur Khadka and Anita Thapa jointly handed it over.
 

General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) General Secretary Laxman Sharma emphasized the need to bring change in the existing situation where 80% of teachers and staff, both private and public, are deprived of social security. He called for arrangements to register relief teachers, ECD teachers, staff, technical employees, locally appointed teachers and nurses, as well as teachers and staff of private schools under contribution-based social security.

Speaking at a rally organized on the fifth day of the nationwide movement by the Nepal Teachers’ Federation on 6 April 2025, General Secretary Sharma expressed GEFONT’s solidarity with the teachers’ movement and made these remarks.

Addressing the gathering, Sharma advised teacher leaders not to compromise on ensuring human rights and labour rights as provided under the fundamental rights of the Constitution while drafting the new Education Act.

He also urged the movement to create pressure for adequate investment in education quality, protection and motivation for teachers at the local level, and the introduction of an Education Act that guarantees the application of labour rights.

The process of determining the minimum wage for workers employed in tea estates, as well as in tea production and processing industries, has reached its final stage.

In the meeting of the Minimum Wage Determination Committee organized by the Ministry of Labour, Employment, and Social Security on 8 August 2025, representatives of the Tea Producers’ Association and workers requested time until 14 August 2025 to hold mutual discussions and reach a decision.

According to GEFONT Vice President and member of the Minimum Wage Determination Committee, Janak Chaudhary, the meeting—which had invited the central committee presidents of trade unions active in the tea sector along with representatives of the Tea Producers’ Association—was conducted cordially.

GEFONT National Women’s Committee Chairperson and GEFONT Vice-President Sita Lama stated that care sector work should be dignified, emphasizing the need for the recognition of care workers along with their trade union rights.

Vice-President Lama expressed this view during a consultation program on the “Need and Opportunities for Policy Formulation in the Care Sector,” organized by the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Sudurpaschim Province, on 7 August 2025.

The consultation program was held under the chief guestship of Sudurpaschim Province Planning Commission Vice-Chairperson Jeevan Rana, where speakers, including FNCCI Employers’ Council Chairperson Jyotsna Shrestha, shared their remarks.

The GEFONT Gokarneshwar Municipality Committee submitted a memorandum to Deputy Mayor Sannanani Lama on 11 August 2025, demanding the establishment of a Labour Desk.

The memorandum highlighted the need for a permanent Labour Desk to facilitate the registration of workers in the Gokarneshwar Municipality area, listing them in the Social Security Fund, resolving labour-related disputes, providing legal consultation, protecting labour rights in the municipality area, and ensuring easier access to services and facilities.

Receiving the memorandum in the presence of GEFONT Secretary Smriti Lama, Bagmati Province President Ramhari Nepal, and other local union leaders, Deputy Mayor Lama expressed a positive view towards the demands and committed to taking necessary initiatives on the matter.