Govt to allow only one trade union in industries

There will be only one trade union in industries soon.

The government has decided to conduct elections among the existing trade unions to authenticate the only one trade union in industries that is expected to improve the management and labour relation.

The second meeting of Nepal Business Forum (NBF) held today under the chair of caretaker prime minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has taken the move for only one authorised trade union to give help create conducive to industrial environment. Currently, there are up to five trade unions in industries.

The private sector has been demanding only one trade union in an industry. According to them, labour disputes exist in all industries including multinationals due to different trade unions with differing political ideologies within one organisation. “Having only one trade union will help solve most of the industrial disputes,” said chief secretary Leela Mani Paudyal.

Trade Union Act and Labour Act have a provision of only one trade union in an industry or business enterprise. The NBF meeting has proposed to hold elections within July 2013, according to the existing laws.

The meeting also decided to build a legal framework to open the capital market for foreign investors. There is a legal provision for Non-Resident Nepalis to invest in the domestic capital market but its progress has been too slow. The legal provision will be developed in coordination with Nepal Rastra Bank and Securities Board of Nepal.

NBF has decided to include garments in the export potential list. Nepal Trade Integration Strategy has included 19 items in the list. Garment will be included in the list that will allow it to get trade facilitation support under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) policy.

The meeting has decided to draft a directive of Technology Development Fund. Ministry of Finance will provide Rs 10 million for the fund that will be operated under private public partnership.

Similarly, NBF meeting also decided to form a separate mechanism to monitor cooperatives. Currently, Department of Cooperatives and its offices have been doing the job.

In the meeting, Bhattarai said that the country will be guided by economic agenda hereafter. “The government will promote economic nationalism to build a prosperous Nepal,” he said. He also informed that the government will bring the regular budget shortly. Homework for a regular budget is going on, he added.