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2 July, 2007
Nepal’s reconstruction efforts, in progress since trade unions and their peaceful civil protests ended martial law a year ago in the Himalayan country, have now been snubbed. The country’s National Planning Commission has excluded the three national labour centres from participation on the National Development Forum.
The General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT), the Nepalese Trade Union Congress (NTUC), and the Democratic Confederation of Nepalese Trade Unions (DECONT) all have had their leaders excluded from the 222-member National Development Forum.
“Though it is designed to finalise the three-year National Interim Plan, which includes different organisations, civil society, NGOs, political parties, women’s and ethnic groups, it excludes the working class representatives who cover more than half of the population of the country,” the three labour centres said in a statement.
“We are shocked by the decision of the government and consider it an insult to the entire working population of the nation.”
To protest the snub, trade union leaders intend to stage a strike at the hotel in which the National Development Forum is meeting unless members of Nepal’s planning commission issue a public apology, and place union representatives on the forum.