UNI Asia & Pacific organized a two-day workshop in Nepal on ‘Effectively Organizing Workers in a Nepalese Context’

UNI Asia & Pacific organized a two day workshop on ‘Effectively Organizing Workers in a Nepalese Context’ in Pokhara, Nepal attended by 20 worker leaders from unions affiliated to UNI including UNIAGE (gig workers), UNIPHIN (care workers), FIEUN (finance workers), IMPRESSION (Graphical workers), ANPSSWU (retail workers), ANCLWU (cleaning workers), UNITES (ICTS workers), UNIPress (Press workers), CWU (casino workers), NABUN (beauticians) UNICOME (retail workers).  The workshop provided participants with the knowledge and practical skills necessary to effectively lead campaigns.

On the first day the worker leaders were introduced to concepts of organizing and the role of unions in the rapidly changing work environment. Workers learnt about personal story through a practical story telling exercise as the basis for building trust among workers.

The worker leaders learnt to identify the deeply felt, widely felt and winnable workplace issues and how they can be ranked. The participants ranked collective issues in their workplaces to use as the basis of their organising plan for finding leaders, forming committees, and working towards collective bargaining.

The second day of the workshop focused on identifying natural leaders and inviting workers to leadership. The participants considered the leaders in their workplaces and how to escalate the commitment of these workers to the campaign through organising conversations.

The workshop concluded with a session on worker rights and the industrial laws in Nepal highlighting the major provisions on the Contribution based Social Security Act 2017, labour Act 2017 and Trade Union Act 1993. The session also included ILO Conventions and the constitutional rights of Nepalese workers. Participants identified the selected legal provisions in different laws which can be used as organizing tools in their campaign and develop an organising plan including the various elements they had learnt.

“I have been working as organizers in my union for a long time however, this training helped to codify my skills and even learn some new skills. I look forward to trying these new skills when organising workers to get success. I am fully satisfied on the methodology used in this training”- Kripa Karki, Organizer IMPRESSION Nepal.

“This training was very new and unique to me. The storytelling session was amazing in my view and helped me understand why am in the movement and how to build trust among workers. The collection of the legal matters as the handbook and training is also a handy tool in our organizing mission.”- Ramesh Timsina- Organizer UNICOME, Hetauda.