With the slogan “Prosperous Nepal, appeased Nepali, Social Security Rights to All”, General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) celebrated the 7th Social Security Day on November 26th by organizing various programs across the country.

In Koshi Province, the program was held in Biratnagar under the chairmanship of the state president Kishor Dhamala, and leaders including WHIN Vice President Manoj Magar and JTG-CWUN Vice President Murari Bhattarai and Secretary Sunita Shrestha were present as guests.

GEFONT National Committee member Maya Bhandari was chief guest of the program organized by the District Coordination Committee in Udayapur, chaired by Bishnurama Rai.
Rajkumar Rai initiated the program where Seema Maskey and Shashi Kumar Rai gave congratulatory speeches.

Similarly, CPN-UML central member and former minister Ekwal Mia was the chief guest of the 7th Social Security Day program held in Simara under the chairmanship of GEFONT Madhesh Province state president Kamlesh Jha.

GEFONT National Committee member Gita Bhandari, CPN-UML Madhesh Province member Sunder BK, WHIN central member Manoj Chaudhary and other leaders gave their best wishes in the program hosted by Provincial Secretary Mukti Chaudhary. The 7th Social Security Day has also been celebrated at Indu Shankar Sugar Industry located in Hariwan of Sarlahi District in Madhesh Province.

Under the chief hospitality of the Honorable Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, the program held in Kathmandu of Bagmati Province was chaired by the President of GEFONT Binod Shrestha and hosted by the General Secretary Laxman Sharma.

Similarly, lamp lighting in Bharatpur of Chitwan district and seminar on social security at Shivam Cement complex in Hetauda were organized.

Likewise, the Social Security Day program organized by the GEFONT Gandaki Province Committee was chaired by GEFONT Province President Rudra Khatri with CPN-UML central member and former GEFONT vice-chairman Chudamani Junglee as the chief guest.

Independent Transport- Workers’ Association of Nepal Gandaki Province Executive President Baburam Rana and UNITRAV Central Vice-President Tulsi Subedi delivered their best wishes at the program.
CG Foods, Gorkha Brewery, CG Cement in Nawalpur district of Gandaki Province, Surya Nepal in Tanahun district along with Syangja district also celebrated the day by organizing various programs, as informed by GEFONT Gandaki.

General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) Lumbini Province celebrated the establishment day of contribution-based social security by holding interaction programs at CG Foods in Bardiya district, Nepalgunj Medical College and Industrial Area in Banke, Nepal Hydro and Electric in Rupandehi, and lighting lamps in Manigram.

Similarly, GEFONT Karnali Province organized the 7th Social Security Day in Surkhet under the chairmanship of Provincial Secretary Shripal Sarumagar, with GEFONT National Committee Member Chandra Kumari Dhami as the chief guest. The program was conducted by Provincial Member Nim Bahadur Budha.

The seventh Social Security Day was held by Godawari Municipality under the chief guest Jit Bahadur Malla, GEFONT Far-west Province President.
The program, chaired by the Municipality Committee President Bhubaneswar Bhatta, was conducted by the Municipality Secretary Sher Bahadur Magar.
 

On 11 Mangsir 2081, the Nepal Trade Union Federation (GEFONT) celebrated the seventh Social Security Day across the country with the slogan: “Prosperous Nepal is the basis of happy Nepalis, the right of workers in all sectors to social security.”

Honorable Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, the chief guest of the meeting organized by GEFONT Central Office at the auditorium in Kathmandu, congratulated and wished all the workers at home and abroad. He said that the history of the trade union movement is older than the politics of Nepal and that GEFONT is the continuation of the Nepal Trade Union Movement established in 2003 BS.

Expressing his best wishes and congratulations to GEFONT and its workers for working as a model for the working class of Nepal by continuously working for the establishment of the Social Security Fund, Prime Minister Oli said that the contribution-based social security, which was established as a policy on Mangsir 11, 2075 BS, will now provide additional facilities to the families of workers.

While clarifying that he is working in a new way to ensure equitable distribution for prosperity in the coming year, Prime Minister Oli said that since new changes need to be brought at this time, he will give them a sense of change without passing the burden of change on to future generations. He expressed confidence that this system, which was started from the beginning of contribution-based social security on Mangsir 11 when he was the first Prime Minister, will be completely successful and move forward.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Honorable Bishnu Poudel, said that the CPN-UML has led the campaign to advance the concept of social security in Nepal, implement it practically and establish it, and said that the use of contribution-based social security has made Nepali workers excited and confident about the future.

He expressed his commitment to take the initiative to creatively develop the problems that have arisen in its implementation, as many workers are yet to be included in the scope of contribution-based social security.

He said that the Nepal Trade Union Federation (GEFONT) is not only the most powerful trade union federation in Nepal but also has a tremendous influence in the global trade union movement, and he is proud of the leadership of GEFONT.

The program’s chairman, GEFONT President Binod Shrestha, extended his heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to everyone on the occasion of Social Security Day, which was implemented on November 11, 2075 BS, as a result of the nearly 3-decade-long and continuous movement of Nepali trade unions, with the agreement of employers and workers. He thanked the Honorable Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli for starting a new era. He said that the 8th General Conference of GEFONT had set a target of connecting 2 million workers to the fund in 4 years, and 1.794 million workers have been affiliated in about two and a half years, and now GEFONT will work to continue the contribution of those workers.

Among the workers affiliated to the fund, 585 workers are currently receiving regular pensions, while the remaining three families are receiving monthly pension benefits ranging from Rs 8,000 to Rs 157,000. Chairman Shrestha stressed that since a large number of the members affiliated to the fund are foreign-employed workers, there is a problem in regular contributions, so a solution should be found soon.
GEFONT Chairman Shrestha said that for the registration of informal and self-employed workers, labor registration should be done at the local level and expressed confidence that outsourced workers working in government offices would be listed in the fund during the tenure of the Honorable Prime Minister. He stressed that the inclusion of representatives of fake trade unions in the board of the fund, ignoring the representatives of the official trade union federation, should be corrected immediately.

The program was hosted by Laxman Sharma, General Secretary of the Federation, and Balaram Adhikari, Minister for Land Management and Cooperatives, and Jyotsana Shakya, President of the FNCCI Employers’ Council, expressed their best wishes for the success of the program.

The chairmen of Phedikhola, Bansgadhi, Belbari, Bhimphedi, and Sundar Haraincha, who had registered workers from the local level and contributed to the Social Security Fund, were honored by the Honorable Prime Minister on behalf of GEFONT. The Antara group also presented a cultural program.
 

Click on the link below for all the photos from the event.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122129437604435116&type=3
 

Nepal Health Volunteers Association (NEVA) conducted a 2-day leadership development training for district committees in Koshi Province in Biratnagar on December 6 and 7.

In the program, Koshi Province Chief Social Security Fund committee Deepak Raj Bhatta provided training on social security in the informal sector, Central President Gita Theeng provided training on the history and policies and programs of NEVA, and Central Vice President of WHIN Manoj Magar provided training on labor laws.

NEVA Central President Gita Theeng hosted the program as the chief guest, with former NEVA President Totala Dahal, GEFONT Koshi Province Deputy Secretary Hari Adhikari, Central Vice President of All Nepal Manoj Magar, and GEFONT Central Labor Relations Council Member Murari Bhattarai in attendance.

The program was chaired by Ratna Rijal and moderated by Central Member Bhawani Adhikari.
 

As the contribution-based social security system implemented by Nepali trade unions since the 27th of November 2018, which was established after a long struggle of almost two decades, enters its seventh year, GEFONT President Binod Shrestha has said that while protecting the achievements, it is necessary to work even harder for accomplishing greater ambitions.

He said this at a national gathering organized by the Joint Trade Union Coordination Center (JTUCC) on November 25 on the problems of outsourced workers, implementation of social security, and contemporary issues regarding the labor market.

President Shrestha emphasized that the entire labor movement should work together to fulfill the responsibility of protecting the achievements of the movement by breaking the hoax against social security while advancing for the prosperity of the working people.

At the gathering chaired by JTUCC President Yogendra Kunwar, ANTUF President Jagat Simkhada spoke about the problems of outsourced workers and the role that trade unions should play.

The General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) has launched a 16-day campaign against gender-based violence nationwide.

On the first day of the campaign on November 25, GEFONT Bagmati Province Women’s Committee organized an orientation program on the implementation of GEFONT’s Code of Conduct against gender-based violence.

Launching the campaign, President Binod Shrestha requested not to understand gender-based violence unilaterally and not to follow rumors.

Women’s Committee President Sita Lama facilitated a discussion on ILO Convention 190, Vice President Kamala Tamang facilitated a discussion on GEFONT Women’s Policy and Secretary Bijaya Khadka facilitated a discussion on the situation of gender-based violence and the role of GEFONT. 

The program was chaired by GEFONT Province Women’s Committee President Shanti Karki.
 

CPN-UML organized a rally on Durbar Marg on November 22 to maintain social harmony and national unity.

Rallies were held from various places before the start of the event, jointly organized by the Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur district committees of the CPN-UML.

The rally of thousands of General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) member workers started at Bhadrakali which, after traversing Sundhara, Bir Hospital, Ratnapark and Ghantaghar, assimilated into the public meeting event.

The rally was organized with the objective of building public opinion in favor of the rule of law for democracy, peace, national unity, social harmony, good governance, prosperity and development against the growing chaos and instability in the country.