General Federation of Nepalese Trade Union (GEFONT) has celebrated International Migrant Workers Day in Kathmandu with the slogan of social security for the secure future of Migrant workers.

In the program occasion of the Day, GEFONT President Binod Shrestha said that the federation is constantly raising its voice to apply social Security to workers going to foreign employment and expressed the hope that will be implemented soon. In order to bring foreign workers into the scope of social security, it is necessary to make it easier for them to join the social security system saying that he further added, "We need to remove the frailty in the issued procedure and implement it gradually.

 

Government is only concerned about power and has no concern or interest in labour and workers saying that they are forced to go abroad in large numbers every year. He opined that the number of foreign workers increased by 377 percent in the first year after the formation of the coalition government, but the inflow of remittances did not increase in proportion, so the government was in favour of the informal economy.

President said that the amount earned by Nepali workers abroad is abnormally low in Nepal and he said that the government should respond to this. In the last fiscal year, there was a 377 per cent increase in the number of people going for foreign employment, but there was only a 4.8 per cent increase in remittances to Nepal. Therefore, GEFONT said that there is room for suspicion.

In the first year after the pandemic of COVID -19, the increase in the number of workers going to foreign employment by 377 percent has presented a frightening picture of the migration of the young labour force in Nepal. GEFONT also said that this is an indicator of evil for the country.

Speaking at the program, Hari Thapa expressed the view that it is necessary to connect social security with employers in the destination country. He emphasized creating an environment where the employers of the destination country contribute to the social security fund for the labours going from Nepal to work. He also praised the work done by GEFONT to make fair foreign employment.

Speaking at the Program, Migrant Trade Union Korea President Uday Rai informed that migrant workers who go to work in South Korea are also exploited and there are problems such as workers not being able to change employers as per their interest, being forced to work excessively hours, etc.

In the program conducted by GEFONT Deputy Secretary General Naranath Luitel, a documentary was screened titled Stories of Injuries of Migrant Workers in Qatar produced by GEFONT.