9 June, 2015On 8 June the Joint Trade Union Coordination Centre of Nepal (JTUCC) organized a special Nepal Forum in support of Nepalese unions during the International Labour Conference in Geneva.
Union, employer and government representatives from all over the world attended the event. Despite extreme hardship suffered by Nepal during the recent earthquakes, the general mood of Nepalese trade unions is that this is not the end of the story, it is the beginning. Different speakers at the event echoed the idea time and again.
The nation of Nepal is going through a dramatic period in the aftermath of a series of devastating earthquakes, the first of which happened on 25 April this year. The epicentre was in Barpak, a remote village in the Gorkha district, with an estimated magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale. Not a single house remained safe. The next day, some 16 districts were in the zone of a heavy earthquake, which was followed by a series of aftershocks bringing further destruction.
The third major quake impacted the country on 12 May with an estimated magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter scale, although slightly smaller than the first one, it was no less devastating. All together there have been around 300 shocks noted in Nepal. They provoked a number of landslides that continued the destruction.
According to JTUCC, 8,699 people have been reported dead so far. Almost 22,000 have been injured. More than half a million houses have been destroyed. Numerous education institutions including schools have been ruined. The loss of schools and education institutions is estimated by JTUCC as being as high as 8 billion NPR (approximately 70 million euros), a grave burden for a country like Nepal. Close to 600 heritage sites have been severely damaged or totally destroyed.
A detailed report on the consequences of the earthquake “Nepal’s killer Quake’15, Post quake review: destruction & possibilities” was distributed at the Nepal Forum. Also a heart-breaking documentary “Nepal’s Killer Quake ’15” showing devastating results was projected at the meeting.
After an introduction session by the national Nepalese union leaders, a session of questions and answers was organized. Many solidarity support messages were delivered from union and government participants.
The organizers of the meeting explained the situation of Nepalese migrant workers in Qatar, who have not been allowed to leave their jobs due to Kafala rule in Qatar. According to Bishnu Rimal, JTUCC President, there is an agreement on the horizon with Qatar, which allows Nepalese migrant workers to travel back home. Rimal, also pointed out that in case of problems workers are requested to contact JTUCC.
JTUCC also explained how solidarity support could be channelled to victims of the quakes in Nepal. See our previous story describing the possibility of donations through GEFONT.
A number of IndustriALL affiliates have already made donations to Nepalese unions, including National Trade Union Federation of Pakistan (NTUF) who travelled to Nepal from 12 to 17 May to distribute food items worth 200,000 USD. IndustriALL regional office in India assisted in this trip and is available for help with further arrangements if needed.
At the end of the meeting IndustriALL video interviewed Bishnu Rimal, JTUCC President.