Lockdown for twice and several restrictions imposed by the government to prevent spreading of coronavirus paralyzed the economy of the country resulting the grave impacts on the working-class people. Security guards are no exception either. Though being essential workers, they did not get adequate protection equipment or allowance for working as a frontliners. Many of the workers have lost their jobs or underpaid.
Since the implementation of the labor act and social security is poor, they could not enjoy any benefits as provisioned by these acts.
As a part of UNI campaign of Essential Rights for Essential Workers in Nepal, ASNWU organized a joint press conference along with All Nepal Trade Union federation (ANTUF) on 30th of September 2020.
In the press conference they demanded with government for the well and absolute implementation of the current Laws and Act to ensure the rights and benefits of the workers.
Monarchy to constitutional monarchy to Republic, several political changes have been witnessed by us yet the condition of the security workers has remained constant without any significant change. The ministers, people representatives who have reached the law-making position through the labor movement, have turned their ears deaf in demands to implement the current laws. It has not only frustrated the security workers but also forced them to think if they are the second-class citizens.
The grand inauguration of the new Social Security Act by the primer minister K.P. Oli has turned into mere a formality as the government bodies Labor ministry, labor department, social security fund and labor offices are silent in the implementation of the law and are only interested in completing the rituals. This has barred the employers to bring under the ambit of law and the rule of law has been ridiculed.
ANSWU has urged the government to fully implement of the Labor Act and Social Security Act. if the government evicts the demand of the security workers in the pretext of Article 145 of the Labor Act 2074 and the current pandemic, they will be compelled to go into struggle.
ANSWU also expressed its solidarity to all the essential workers in various sectors and strongly urged the government to respect the ILO labor standards signed and ensure the trade union rights of the workers.