Friday, May 1, 2009

May Day in Kathmandu - Unity for Transformation


With the slogan "Unity for Transformation", the International Workers' Day, or May Day, is being celebrated all over the world including Nepal today by organising various programs calling for protection of the rights of workers

Trade unionists staging a rally marking the May Day in Kathmandu, Friday...
Trade unions affiliated with various political parties are organising public functions and taking out rallies in the capital Kathmandu to celebrate the social and economic achievements of the international labour movement. They said their district organizations are also holding similar programs in many parts of the country.

The workers in Nepal are celebrating this year's May Day to exert pressure on the government to ensure their rights in the new constitution. For this, Maoist aligned trade unions, which have been at the centre of controversy for shutting down factories and attacking the free press to uphold the rights of workers employed there, are taking out a mass rally from Khulamanch in the capital city.

Meanwhile, in their message on the occasion, Prime Minister Prachanda including leaders of various political parties issued their good wishes to the workers and expressed commitment to improve the condition of the workers.

All government offices including industries, banks, schools remained closed today due to the public holiday the government had announced on this day two years back.

The origins of International Workers' Day go back to 1886, when hundreds of thousands workers across the United States went on strike on what is called "eight-hour day movement", which advocated the eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) - Nepal, only a small percentage of workers in the country are employed in the formal sector that involves some form of social security.

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