The General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) organized a workshop in Kathmandu on November 12 to discuss the concept paper prepared by GEFONT on occupational safety and health.

GEFONT President Binod Shrestha said that occupational safety and health are the natural rights of workers and that this issue is not a matter of debate.

President Shrestha said that since occupational safety and health are important issues for workers, GEFONT has formed a separate department to handle its work, and GEFONT is also working on a separate policy on occupational safety and health.

In the workshop, Vice President Bidur Karki said that no matter how well occupational safety and health expert Yuvraj Bhatta presents the law or concept paper, the regulatory and managerial role would be important to make occupational safety and health worker-friendly.

He said that GEFONT has been doing work to make workers aware of occupational safety and health and said that this should be continued to make it effective.

In the workshop, GEFONT Vice President Jitendra Shrestha, Kamal Gautam, Janak Chaudhary and Sita Lama, General Secretary Laxman Sharma, Vice General Secretary Naranath Luintel, Secretary Belimaiya Dhale, Krishna KC, and Taranidhi Pant gave their opinion on the concept paper.

Similarly, GEFONT Gandaki Province President Rudra Khatri, Tea-Coffee Workers’ Union of Nepal President Sant Kumar Rai, and legal expert Bhakti Ghimire gave suggestions regarding the concept paper.