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Nepali labourers’ harsh reality as world marks May Day

Workers in Nepal are often subjected to subpar working conditions and exploitation at the hands of employers. Despite these circumstances, they are forced to undertake such jobs to earn a livelihood.

Sukarya Lal Shrestha

Sukarya Lal Shrestha

The Kathmandu Post

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File photo of Nepali labourers working under harsh conditions. PHOTO: THE KATHMANDU POST

May 3, 2024

Eighteen-year-old Manoj Bohara is among the labourers who have been hired to clean out the silt and mud from the bottom of Pimbahal Pukhu, a tourist attraction in Lalitpur. The water was recently siphoned out to drain the pond for regular maintenance and the fish sold off.

Bohara, a local of Tulsipur, has been working as a labourer for some seven years.

“I have been working as a labourer for nearly seven years now,” he says, covered in mud. For this job, Bohara gets paid a minimal amount of Rs1,500 every three days.

Although it is tough to work in the scorching heat, the job needs to get done, Bohara adds.

A few minutes away in Ikhalukhu, Indra Bahadur Batha loads cement onto a wheelbarrow. He is a daily wage worker and works for a construction company which has been carrying out sewage repair work in the area.

The maintenance of the sewage has been going on for months and has obstructed the narrow street, causing difficulties for daily commuters.

“I have been here since winter,” the Rolpa local says. “I get paid Rs700 per day. It’s not enough but I have to do it.”

May 1 is globally celebrated as International Labour Day and is taken as an opportunity for workers to voice their concerns regarding labour rights, wages, working conditions, and social security.

Initially observed as a day in remembrance of the Haymarket Affair, a violent altercation which occurred in Chicago, Illinois, on May 4, 1886, Labour Day highlights the importance of unity and solidarity among workers in advocating for their rights and promoting social justice.

Labourers in Nepal face numerous challenges like low wages, harsh working conditions, and safety hazards, among other issues that remain largely unaddressed due to the lack of proper implementation of labour laws.

Workers in Nepal are often subjected to subpar working conditions and exploitation at the hands of employers. Despite these circumstances, they are forced to undertake such jobs to earn a livelihood.

For many Nepali labourers, seeking employment opportunities outside of Nepal has become an increasingly common trend. The growing economic and social challenges and unfavourable working conditions have pushed Nepali workers to travel to foreign country in search of better income opportunities.

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