{"id":7849,"date":"2022-08-09T15:17:35","date_gmt":"2022-08-09T13:17:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniglobalunion.org\/?post_type=news&p=7849"},"modified":"2022-08-09T15:22:02","modified_gmt":"2022-08-09T13:22:02","slug":"nepal-care-workers-win-28-day-strike-facing-police-and-employer-opposition","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/uniglobalunion.org\/news\/nepal-care-workers-win-28-day-strike-facing-police-and-employer-opposition\/","title":{"rendered":"Nepal care workers win 28-day strike\u2014facing police and employer opposition"},"content":{"rendered":"
On 28 June, more than 500 workers at the Manipal Teaching Hospital in Pokhara, Nepal, concluded a successful 28-day strike to improve conditions and pay at the hospital. The workers have already won many of their demands around paid leave. Negotiations over a pay rise are ongoing, but the union is hopeful for a positive outcome.<\/p>\r\n
The hospital workers began forming a union with UNI affiliate UNIPHIN roughly one-and-a-half years ago, and they formally submitted a Demand for Recognition with the country\u2019s labour office in April 2022.<\/p>\r\n
Despite meeting the legal requirements for registration process, the hospital refused to recognize the union and listen to their calls for maternity leave, funeral leave, a pay rise, paid leave and for temporary workers to be made permanent staff.<\/p>\r\n
To move the hospital management to begin negotiations, the workers took action. On 1 June 2022, they began a strike that included peaceful sit-ins in front of the hospital for 5 hours a day and closing the outpatient department.<\/p>\r\n
Nabaraj Bhandari, President of the UNIPHIN <\/strong>branch at the hospital <\/strong>says, \u201c\u2018Until when we will keep quiet?\u2019 and \u2018Until when we will have to struggle?\u2019 These questions to all my fellow workers motivated them. And we united together both to fight for our rights and to be stronger by forming a union.<\/p>\r\n \u201cIn the previous year, we had faced police intervention and management suppression when we demanded for our concerns to be addressed. If the agreement does not come into implementations, we will resume our protest and union action, accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n