COMMERCE ORGANIZERS AND UNION LEADERS IN NEPAL GET A BOOST IN ORGANIZING SKILLS

The Union of Commerce Employees (UNICOME) Nepal recently organised a workshop for over twenty union organisers and leaders from Nepal’s Commerce Sector from 31 July to 2 August 2022. They were oriented on key topics during the program held at the Hotel Easton Blue in Ilam District. These include the organisers’ role, tactics for organising, and how global trade union federations and solidarity organisations support trade union organising on the ground.

Speakers from the local labour office and the ILO Nepal office, respectively, provided input on relevant provisions of the Labour Act and the importance of Occupational Safety and Health. The participants were also provided with practical methods and training on workplace mapping techniques as part of a new module on Digital Organising. At the end of the three-day workshop, the participants received their certificate of completion from the Deputy Chief of the Ilam District Coordination Committee.

Ms Ritu Giri, a UNICOME member from Pokhara, said, “The training was very helpful to understand the key areas of organising skills, which is equally beneficial to union development as well as personal growth.”

UNICOME Nepal expressed confidence that the skills and relationships built from the workshop would contribute to organising enterprise-level unions in departmental stores and expanding social dialogue coverage at the provincial level.