The GEFONT Rejuvenation Orientation Program organized by the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) Far-west Province was completed in Dhangadhi on December 23.

The orientation program, chaired by GEFONT Far-west Province President Jit Bahadur Malla and hosted by GEFONT President Binod Shrestha, highlighted the objectives, structure, work period, activities to be carried out within the campaign, and the bases of monitoring.

The program, which was attended by GEFONT National Committee Member Suntali Chaudhary, GEFONT Cooperative Management Department Coordinator Dev Bahadur Bam, Member Chandra Ram B.K., and municipal-level leaders of the province, was hosted by Provincial Secretary Chandra Prakash Gairhe. The program was welcomed by Provincial Vice President Thakar Bisht.
 

The General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) has expressed solidarity with the ongoing protests at Nepalgunj Medical College run by Lord Buddha Educational Academy and has warned the management to immediately fulfill the legitimate demands of the workers.

Addressing the ongoing protest at the medical college, the GEFONT Banke District Committee President said that on June 18, the union active in the institution had submitted a 7-point demand letter to the management of Nepalgunj Medical College as per the Labor Act.

However, it has been said that the management has shown irresponsibility by not coming to a conclusion after discussing it twice at the Nepalgunj Labour Office, as well as at the Labor and Occupational Safety Department. 

Since such misunderstandings in a sensitive sector like health directly affect patients, GEFONT has demanded that the legitimate demands of the workers be met immediately through negotiations and discussions and an environment should be created for the employees to return to work.

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) President Binod Shrestha has said that the implementation of contribution-based social security is a success for Nepal's trade union movement.

President Shrestha said this while addressing a provincial-level labor conference organized by the Joint Trade Union Coordination Center (JTUCC) Far-west Province Coordination Committee in Dhangadhi on December 23. 

President Shrestha said that just as retired government employees receive pensions, 587 workers from across the country who are affiliated with the contribution-based social security fund are also receiving pensions and many workers are receiving service facilities for being affiliated with the fund. However, we trade unionists are not satisfied with the speed and effectiveness with which it is being implemented.

Emphasizing the need for a unified trade union to solve the problems emerging in Nepal's labor market, President Shrestha said that everyone should move forward together to make the labor movement successful by saying not “I” but “we”.

The program was attended by Dev Bahadur Bam, Coordinator of the Cooperative Management Department of GEOFNT, Provincial President Jit Bahadur Malla, JTUCC board members and local leaders of JTUCC.