Passing laws, ensuring young and women leadership in trade unions - Nepal in 2019

The next generation needs to ensure trade unions leadership, therefore General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) chose to invest in the organizing of workers below 35, since they are the future. “I’m Geeta (34) and I have two children. I have been working in an aluminium industry since the past 14 years. I started working at the age of 20. At that time, I had no idea about trade union rights, workers’ rights or women rights. In 2004 I got the opportunity to participate in a programme organized by GEFONT. I really got inspired and started raising awareness among my co-workers. In 2006, I became the GEFONT representative for my enterprise and in 2010 I became the Whole Industry Trade Union Nepal (WHIN) district committee member (blue collar workers) and secretary.”

Dilli, 38 years old, is fighting, together with Nepal Trade Union Congress (NTUC), for better wages and better working conditions. “I have a very poor family background: I have 4 children, a disabled father and a mother with a chronic disease.  I’ve been working in an Ilam Dairy Product Cooperative since 2004, with a total salary of 2.000 NPR (15 EUR). I used to work 12 hours a day, without any leave or other welfare support. My salary was way too low to fulfil the basic needs of my family, as well as to pay medicines for my parents. I asked my management several times for an increase, but it was denied over and over again”.
That’s why he consulted WSM partner, local trade union, NTUC. An NTUC district committee carefully listened to his grievances and they involved him in different programs and activities of the Union. Finally, in 2017, with the initiation of NTUC, his salary was increased to the level of the minimum wage of 9.700 NPR (73,50 EUR). For long, the minimum wages fell far below the amount needed to satisfy the family subsistence. In 2018 the legal minimum wage was revised and increased to 13.450 NPR (101,90 EUR). However, regular monitoring of the implementation of the wages is very important. In case of Nepal, this aspect is fully absent. Workers in enterprises or sectors where union is absent or weak are still compelled to work for a wage that is insufficient to earn a living. Dili for example did again not receive the increased minimum wage. That’s why NTUC made a second request to revise his wage in the beginning of 2019. Thanks to their support, he is now receiving it.

As became clear in the above example, NTUC has been organizing various policy dialogues and policy level intervention activities. They organized their workers through its regular activities, such as May Day, International Women Day, the International Occupational Health and Safety Day, Decent Work Day, Youth Day, etc. They focused on organizing and campaigning. Because of these and other efforts, NTUC and GEFONT have managed a very respectable increase of membership of 100.000 members in the past three years, of which the overwhelming majority are women and under 35 years old!

Domestic workers, health and plants - India in 2019

“My name is Sunanda. I have a sister and also a brother who became handicapped in an accident. I have been working as a domestic worker for 8 years now. For the moment, I only work in two houses, because I’m getting older and I have stomach problems. I didn’t have the courage to speak with my employer about raising my salary or about having any holidays. I was too afraid of losing my job. However, I was interested in exploring new possibilities. In 2011, I attended a meeting of domestic workers in my area. I was impressed, as they were speaking about the rights of domestic workers. After that, I attended the meetings regularly. I became aware of my rights and I had more courage to stand for them. I left my previous job because I didn't get a salary increase. I am no longer afraid of losing my job, since I have many contacts with other domestic workers who can refer me to other and better jobs. What's more: I am the leader of the group now. I mobilize people for meetings, programmes and demonstration and I help the workers with enrolling in the Welfare Board.”

First, NDWM (National Domestic Workers Movement) is working with domestic workers, child domestic workers and migrant workers in 23 states of India. They work towards achieving dignity for them, at both a national and international level. NDWM and its federation NDWF (National Domestic Workers Federation) gather over 50.000 domestic workers monthly. Around 40.406 members were given awareness on labour rights, such as minimum wages.

Another testimony is from Jacinta (42), who is also a domestic worker:
“As a single mother, I used to work from morning till night, with a shift from one employers’ house to another and from one locality to another, just to meet the needs of my family. Initially my wage was very low, ranging from 500 INR per month (6 EUR) in each house. But I managed to send my son to school and later, apart from the domestic work, I started my own small business by selling vegetables in the evening. 

I joined the Union and got more confidence to run my own small business. NDWF provided me with a loan of 8.000 INR (nearly 100EUR) to extend my business. I also participated in the skill development training programmes on cooking and in other training and capacity building programmes. My wage has increased and I’m currently working for 5 families with a payment of 10.000 INR monthly (120EUR). Now I’m able to save some money every month, with which I gradually want to build a small house where I can live peacefully with my son”.

In India, the minimum wages for domestic workers are still very low. NDWM has established a forum in which domestic workers can raise their voices to get paid accordingly. If the employers still refuse, the domestic workers show their ‘wage card’. This is a card prepared by NDWM in different states for a better understanding of wages from the employers. However, employers often still fail to pay them enough. Moreover, the unorganized workers have recently fallen out of the minimum wages, as was expressed in the Working People’s Charter. Therefore, the unions have to lobby more rather than perform activities and quick changes in the field. But after three years, the impact of these activities can be noticed: almost 250.000 workers have significantly improved their existing jobs.

WSM also channels funds to the Domestic Workers Movement from Music for Life and the Brussels Region, which has sistered with Chennai, a city in the south. Brussels Region supports the NDWM Tamil Nadu branch in supporting domestic workers and their children who have been evited from the Chennai city center slums and had been relocated 40km away, causing many to lose their jobs and lacking schools.

 Next, access to health is one of the two priority areas for AREDS in the South of India. Medical care is almost entirely privatized in India, which makes health care services very expensive. The average cost of treatment in a private hospital is around 25.850 INR (310 EUR) as compared to 6.120 INR (74 EUR) in a public hospital . That’s why AREDS has been focusing its activities on promoting native medicine practices. Most of the health-related problems in rural areas are common illnesses, like fever, cold, cough, etc. These are curable with native medicines. Many of the herbs and shrubs that grow in villages have medicinal values. These plants can either be used as raw medicine and consumed or they can be cooked along with normal food items. “Above all, people don’t need to spend money for these medicinal plants, as they grow on the fields. But they need to know about the process of making medicinal plants into consumable medicines. That’s why we prepare medicines with native medicinal plants on the one hand and give training on the preparation of medicines with the medicinal plants on the other hand”, said Samy, founder of AREDS.  Almost 30.000 people (80% women) now have better social security coverage or access to health after three years.

Finally, AREDS succeeded to raise awareness on preventive health practices among 4.817 members (61% women and 71% adolescents). Almost 4.500 people attended trainings on the basics of health care (91% women and 66% adolescents). Concerning labour standards, AREDS organized more than 1.704 members of which 74% were women. They gave basic training on labour rights to 577 members and over 1.000 workers underwent training on trade union movement.

These stories illustrate why the WSM India partners focus on a decent living income for the informal sector (such as domestic workers, agricultural workers, etc.).

Over 1 million Indians were reached in 2019:

• Over 660.000 people (53% women and 44% youth) are more aware of their labour and rights through campaigns and outreach.
• Trade unions organized over 75.000 workers, 65% women and 40% youth.
• Over 17.000 people, 88% women and 41% youth, received basic training in labour standards, social security and health. Over 12.000 Indians, 90% women and 40% young workers, received advanced training (of leaders or of Trainers).
• Over 2.000 workers, almost all women and 38% young workers, benefited from legal assistance for labour rights.
• Advocacy: Nearly 300.000 people (36% women and 48% young workers) were mobilized at grassroots level (ex. demonstrations, petitions…).

India Partners: CWM-I, AREDS, NDWM, NDWF, CFTUI                Budget 2019: 244.872 €

Donor: DGD, Brussels Region, Province of West Flanders                      Programme: 2017-2021

At the continental level: what did the ANRSP focus on and achieve in 2019?

Continental meeting
The Asia seminar was held in Kathmandu in February 2019 with two participants from each of the WSM Asia partners. In addition, representatives from the Network on Transformative Social Protection (NTSP) participated, as well as from ILO Nepal, ITUC-Asia Pacific, who provided valuable input.  A keynote intervention was given through video by Reema Nanavati from SEWA, a member of the Global commission on the Future of Work.

During the first part of the seminar we focused on labour market policies. Social movements have a key role to play in the debate on which types of jobs are needed for a truly inclusive economic development. Industrial policies and employment strategies or not to be left to business and governments alone, but it should be a key issue in the social dialogue. Currently, too many jobs don’t fulfill the Decent Work criteria (labour protection falters, salaries are too low, there is no social protection, no respect for social dialogue or freedom of association, job creation doesn’t follow economic growth).
In the second part of the seminar, the focus was on the Future of Work and the ILO centenary conference. An overview was presented of the most important trends in the world of work and on what needs to be done to guarantee more decent work in the future. The need for a renewed social contract, guaranteeing a fair share of prosperity for all, was broadly shared by the participants.

What did we learn? Labour market policies are a new issue for most member organisations of the ANRSP.  The learning and the capacity strengthening aspects of the seminar were evaluated as most important for the participants. Nevertheless, the discussions on the broader issue of the future of work led to a wider sharing of the vision on economic development, on the essential role for civil society and governments in the shaping of the ‘world of work’ and was thus a new step in strengthening the ANRSP.

Migrant, garment workers and social security - Indonesia in 2019

Yusi Candi is a migrant worker who worked in Saudi Arabia. She was struck by disaster while working abroad but now her condition has improved. Currently Yusi works as an honorary teacher in a kindergarten in Karawang district, where she previously had worked as a migrant worker. Yusi didn’t not know all of her rights and obligations as a migrant worker until she had an accident. In Indonesia she was assisted by SPMI and she learned why for prospective migrant workers it is important to be recruited through legal channels. She now passes on the information to other migrant workers , whom plan to go working abroad.Yusi also played an active role in her area helping with the handling of cases of abused migrant workers for SPMI. She’s also thinking of becoming an organizer for SPMI in her living area, aside from her job as a teacher. That way Yusi hopes she can contribute to the trainings of SPMI in this area, so she can provide a better understanding and training to migrant workers before they go abroad on how to migrate in a legal way, and what are the legal rights of Indonesian migrant workers going abroad. Because in Yusi’s living area there are still many illegal departures.

Political, economic and social context
Presidential elections were held on 17 April 2019. Incumbent president Joko Widodo won 55,5 % of all votes, while his opponent Prabowo Subianto lost the election with 44,5% of the votes. However, as in 2014, Subianto was not ready to accept the result and petitioned the Constitutional Court to cancel the results of the election, bringing fraud allegations against Widodo. This created a lot of political tension, with protesters rioting in the streets of Jakarta. In the end the Court ruled against the petition of electoral fraud and upheld Widodo’s victory. In October President Widodo surprisingly appointed Subianto as Defense Minister in his new government. The new cabinet introduced a draconian package of economic reforms, also known as the ‘OMNIBUS – law’. The Indonesian government says the goal of the package is to create jobs and to increase competitiveness through simplification of existing laws, making it easier for businesses to invest. However, partner organization KSBSI says that the ‘OMNIBUS – law’  (which is actually a cluster of 74 different laws, divided over 11 policy areas) will substantially remove the existing protection mechanisms for workers that have been created over a period of 20 years, not in the least the Labour Law of 2003 and the Law concerning Trade Unions of 2000. Together with two other trade union confederations KSPI and KSPSI, KSBSI has reactivated the union platform MPBI, to lobby against the enactment of the OMNIBUS – law.

Garment workers, health, elderly - Bangladesh in 2019

“My name is Tahmina and I’m 25 years old. I worked as a garment worker for a 5.300BDT salary (58 EUR) per month but later, I became an operator in another factory and there I received 7,300BDT (80 EUR) as monthly salary. In 2015, I became a member of NGWF and attended several trainings, meetings and processions. I learned about the rights of workers and received women leadership training. In 2017, I started to organize workers by myself and in July I was elected secretary of our union. In 2019 however, I was fired verbally without any further notice from the factory. One month later, a grievance notice was sent to me for legal payment of 105,838BDT (1,150 EUR) to the factory management. I filed a case against them with the help of NGWF and their Legal Aid. The case was solved and I received 100,000BDT (1,087 EUR) as compensation. With that money, I bought some land for farming. I feel honored to be a member of NGWF and my dream is to grow awareness about labor rights among workers”.

First, NGWF is helping its garment workers members through legal aid assistance and advocates for better working conditions in Bangladesh through rallies, hunger strikes, human chains, memoranda handovers to the government, etc). In total, 62.330 members have improved their existing job, for example through basic training on labor rights and advanced training on collective bargaining. NGWF is also helping their members to get better social security coverage. Over 100.000 workers (67% women and 84% youngsters) were made more aware about social security through posters and leaflets and 55.000 workers were reached through their media releases regarding the situation and rights of garment workers. Many of the staff and members of NGWF are young workers, since they focus on youth leadership and development.

I am Sumi from Bhola Barishal in Bangladesh. I am 25 years old. I was forced by my parents to marry at the age of 17. As a day laborer, my husband hardly had any work. At that time, we could only eat one meal a day. I could not take care for my family, so I went to Dhaka on my own. There, I joined a button factory at the age of 19, which my husband also joined later. After working there for a couple of years, we got our first daughter and later we got a second one. Hence, we felt sick several times during that year. It was very hard to live with a limited budget, since we had to spent a lot for doctor visits and medicines. Then, I heard about a medical camp near the factory where I work. I went there and took a health insurance of GK. Now we can visit a doctor and buy medicines at a lower cost. Together with my husband I participated in some awareness raising trainings on various health issues, personal hygiene and occupational health safety. I also try to teach my children about personal hygiene. Now, my family feels less sick thanks to the health services provided by GK. 

The second WSM partner in Bangladesh is Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK), the largest health provider after the Bangladeshi government. They started out by focusing on the rural areas, but now they also include garment workers. As it became clear in the above testimony, through the services of GK more people have enrolled in social security schemes or systems of social insurance (like pensions, maternity benefits, unemployment benefits, etc.). People also have improved access to health, because they subscribed to a health insurance system or were reached by activities offering health services by partner organisations, such as health camps, awareness raising, health insurance, day observation, personal hygiene, etc. In 2019, over 100.000 members (54% women and 79% youth) have achieved better access to health services. GK also provided over 150 people with vocational skill training to be able to find a better job and to have an improved income security. For example: after completion of computer and embroidery training, 40 out of 60 women got new jobs.

The exchanges between GK and OKRA regarding elderly also continued, with OKRA Coordinator Mark DeSoete and three other staff from OKRA visiting Bangladesh. They also invited an actor who, based on his experiences in Bangladesh, created a play that will tour around the OKRA meeting points in Flanders during 2020 raising awareness about the issues of elderly and social protection.

Last, a lot of people benefited from the services provided by the WSM synergy program in Bangladesh. Nazma for example got training on social protection and labor law arranged by the synergy activity. As an activist and women leader, she was motived to learn about important labor laws and rights. On the 22nd of April 2019, all workers put forward a Charter of Demand to their factory management. Now workers get a weekly holiday, attendance bonus, maternity leave and casual leave with payment, medical facilities, etc. “Workers are finally enjoying their rights, which is a great achievement for me”, said Nazma.

As an impact of the activities of the WSM partners in the past three years, the WSM supported activities contributed that over 60.000 people found a new job or improved their existing job. Almost 300.000 people had better coverage, be it for social security or access to health. Three important legislation were also passed to benefit garment workers: the minimum wage was increased; Safe Working Condition were improved and freedom of Association for trade unions and collective bargaining were better guaranteed.

In 2019, over 600.000 people reached through:
For labour standards: over 160.000 garment workers (60% women and 70% youth) reached through:

• Over 150.000 garment workers are more aware of their rights through campaigns and public outreach. 
• Almost 3.000 garment workers are newly organized
• Almost 400 received basic or advanced training 
• Over 3.200 garment workers received legal assistance. 
• Over 1.200 workers were mobilised to demand to increase the minimum wage. 

155 people got vocational skill training through GK, and they raised awareness regarding women driving.
200.000 workers were made aware of their social security rights and 30 got a basic training.
Almost 200.000 people were involved to improve their access to health because of GK, with 15.000 people getting direct medical attention.

Partners: NGWF, GK, OHS Initiative, BSPAN               Budget 2019: 100.000€
Donor: Own WSM funds                                                   Programme: 2017-2021

No to contractualization; Yes to a national minimum wage! - Philippines 2019

"I’m Analou Paquera, 27 years old and currently working in the UNI ELEMENTS ENTERPRISES located in Malanday, Valenzuela City (Manila metropole). I was born in Cotabato, Mindanao and I choose to migrate to go in Manila to look for a better job because of lack of opportunities in my province. I am working in UNI ELEMENT since 2015 as part of the production line. I make the chemicals that are necessary to produce liquid soap and bath soap.
In 2015, my salary was 250PHP (4,5 euros) for 12 hours of work. I had no benefits like SSS (social security), PhilHealth or any other social insurance. In the company there are many violations of the labour law by the employer, lack of overtime payment, 13th month pay. The workers are also exposed to the chemicals without protective equipment, which are very harmful. In 2019, I met the organizer of Young Christian Workers (YCW) in Malanday Valenzuela with my fellow workers and we have shared about of all the young workers in the UNI ELEMENTS Factory. We decided to organize my fellow workers to change our reality.
We filed a case in the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for the violation of the minimum wage regulations, for the non-remittance of our social insurance benefits and to get our underpaid salary of a period of almost 5 years. After negotiating with the employer and the DOLE, we finally got our unpaid salary. My employer paid me 45.000 pesos (800 USD) back pay. He was also forced to increase my daily salary from 250 pesos (4,5 euro) to 700 pesos (12,5 euro).
Our experience in organizing to demand salary increase was not easy. We have faced many challenges in organizing dialogue and negotiations with the employer and the DOLE, because we didn’t know before how to do it. But YCW helped us by sharing their own experience on how to deal with this. As of now, we still need to continue to organize the workers here in UNI ELEMENTS because even though my salary was increased, my job status is still as contractual worker.”

Political, economic and social context of the Philippines
Throughout 2019, the Philippino government continued curtailing the freedom of speech and association of human and labour rights activists, independent journalists and trade unions. With Executive Order 70 the red-tagging of progressive workers’ organizations as communist and terrorist organizations has intensified. The authorities have already used EO70 to target local unions in areas where there are Chinese investments.  At the International Labour Conference in Geneva the ILO decided to schedule a high-level mission to the Philippines for an investigation into the killing of 43 labour activists in the last 3 years, a mission which to date the Philippino authorities has not yet allowed to enter the country. In the meantime, due to the passing of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (TRAIN) in 2018 prices of basic goods and services continued to rise in 2019. One study found that the law can create a monthly loss of up to 3.000 pesos (± 53 euro) per family. Last year the Expanded Maternity Leave was adopted, extending maternity leave with full pay from 60 to 105 days. A Universal Health Care Act was also passed, supposedly lowering out-of-pocket health expenses but according to the partner organizations, this law will only contribute to the further commercialization and privatisation of public health care services.

A one man show on elderly in Belgium and Bangladesh at the Flemish Parliament

Aren’t we happy? That is the title of Peter Lambert’s piece, looking at how elderly live in Bangladesh and in Belgium. Addressing the audience, he started: “You all look good, at least for your age. Shows you are healthy, which is the most talked about topic among elderly. You all managed to get here, so you are all still getting around. We are all here together, so not alone. And you managed to pay the entrance fee, so not too tight with money. Those are the same issues Bangladeshi elderly worry about: health, mobility, loneliness and finances.”

But while ageing is increasingly drawing more attention from policy makers and the ILO, “We talk a lot about elderly, but how often do we talk with elderly?” underlined Marc DeSoete from OKRA. So he asked the invited parliamentarians two questions: do you realize the importance of ageing in the world, and do you recognize the necessity of social movements like OKRA to ensure our voices are heard? “My father lives in a rural area, and OKRA is really the only thing that still gets him out of the door. Of course, we also visit him, but often, there are only caregivers that come to see him during the week. His most social events are, sadly, funerals...” shared Ann De Martelaer from Groen. “We can learn a lot about the respect for greet hairs from other countries, to keep the connection between generations.” said Joachim Coens, CD&V.
Even at 27, the youngest political party president in Belgium, Conner Rousseau from Sp.a, explained how, through his mother who studied gerontology and wrote a book “Grijs is wijs” (grey is wise), the importance of taking care of elderly was emphasized to him since the earliest years.

While most of the time, audience was laughing and giggling, the play also had moments of silence and respect. Peter explaining how his mother struggled to communicate in the last years of her life. An allegory of all the elderly of a village having to climb in a tree and hang on for dear life while the rest of the village shakes it draws a frightening image of what happens when a society has no social safety nets and we push survival of the fittest too far.

The one man show will tour many OKRA meeting points in order to provoke thoughts and discussion about elderly and international solidarity, as OKRA partners through WSM with GK in Bangladesh to set up elderly clubs.

35 people from WSM and its partners in the world take part in the ILO Global week on social protection in Geneva

Four days of high-level conference on universal social protection (# USP2030) allowed to share a lot of key information and to network. Many high-level personalities talked about the importance of social protection and how it will be achieved by 2030. So many changes await us: climate - demography - globalization - growing inequalities – changing labor markets. A transition is needed and social protection must be part of this transition! You can find the outcome document here.

Currently, social protection as a human right is far from being a reality.
Barely 29% of the world's population has access to comprehensive social protection systems, 55% are totally deprived, while the global economy is worth over $ 100 billion. This means there is enough money to send all the children of the world to school, to provide everyone in the world with quality health care, to ensure that everyone in the world has adequate social protection. But, here is the catch: “there are 2.000 billionaires!”, says economist Jeffrey Sachs: “There is enough, it is just not distributed properly." So don’t point your finger at low-income countries, but blame the Donald Trumps, Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerbergs.

For social protection to be possible for all, for it to be affordable, that it is not perceived as a cost but as an investment depends on political priorities. Over and again, the same messages came back during the Global Social Protection Week in Geneva. The International Labor Organization (ILO) brought together over 600 people from governments, private companies and social movements to chart the way to universal social protection. It invites us to accelerate to increase the likelihood of reaching the goal by 2030. That being said, there is still a lot to do!

"It exists on paper, but practice is different!"

The goal of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically number 1.3, is to put in place social protection systems that protect everyone, including the poorest and most vulnerable sections of the population. Social protection starts with social dialogue, a necessary exchange between employees, employers and government. Many social protection systems are based on the labour relationship and their legal status (employed or self-employed). These systems must evolve to adapt to changing contexts around the world.

"There is already a social protection system in the Dominican Republic - at least on paper - the practice is somewhat different, since more than half of the working population is employed in the informal sector, they are not entitled to benefits when they become ill". Altagracia Jimenez, representative of our union partner AMUSSOL, immediately tackles one of the many problems. Setting up an official social protection system is one thing, covering the whole population is another.

Moreover, it should not be forgotten that there is no single universally applicable social protection system, it needs to be adapted to the realities of each country. Therefore, social protection should be seen by states as a global investment and not a cost. Investing in social protection contributes to peace, more equality and more democracy, it is a public investment in social justice. And, when rolled out, it shows a clear multiplier effect for many of the other Sustainable Development Goals.
However, let us not forget that there is a financial gap, namely that the poorest countries alone can’t fund it. Solidarity is therefore needed from richer countries, as well as from the rich, towards the poorest countries. According to experts, "comprehensive social protection" is needed, and goes well beyond the "safety nets" that many countries rely on. The best systems are "universal"!

Will we solve this problem simply by organizing an International Conference?
In the end, it seems difficult to formulate a global answer while each continent, each country, each region has its own realities. According to Koen Detavernier, Advocacy Officer at WSM, such a conference is still relevant: "A conference like this can reinforce the belief that it is possible. If a country like Mexico in one year is able to provide pensions in one year and thus make a great leap for universal social protection, other countries will be convinced that they, too, can make it happen. This conference really encourages countries to invest in social protection and prioritize it in their international cooperation."

The network supported by WSM
WSM was very present at this Social Protection Week in Geneva. Our delegation of 35 people was mainly composed of representatives of our many partner organizations from Africa, Asia and Latin America. According to Koen Detavernier, there are two main reasons for being here. "On the one hand, we are here to learn more about the topic: experts present their points of view, explain future strategies, give concrete examples and share the results of their research." But the idea is also to do and achieve things. "We are looking for new collaborations, for example, to work on very concrete aspects of social protection on the ground, through informal conversations, meetings in the corridors, etc. Being seen and heard in this conference makes a difference and helps get things moving."

Nepal: WSM to involve civil society for EU project with ILO and UNICEF on social protection floors

WSM has been mandated to involve Nepali civil society in an EU funded pilot project in which ILO and UNICEF work with the Nepali government to promote the social protection floors. These floors focus on four main aspects from the ILO R202: access to health, child allowances, elderly and income for the active population. While the WSM longstanding partners in Nepal, the trade unions, have worked very hard in the past years on the contributory social security act which focuses on the fourth part, this project is the opportunity to reach out to other civil society organisations and social movements to truly adopt the multi-stakeholder approach WSM is known for.

What has happened so far?
After some initial introductory meetings with ILO and UNICEF, WSM convened two stakeholders meetings on 18th and 26th of November with two main partners:

1. the Social Protection Civil Society Network (SPCSN), gathering 19 CSOs and 
2. ITUC-NAC: umbrella organisation of the three Nepali trade unions affiliated to ITUC, which is already the WSM partner in charge of the Nepal synergy.

With the slogan "From bottom to top, from floor to ceiling!", during the first meeting with 34 participants, we explained the context of this project, and they agreed on a number of values and vision regarding social protection, which came from the ANRSP Position Paper on Social Protection. They made suggestions of priorities for advocacy (what the Nepali government should do) and activities (what CSOs could do that is most relevant).  They also designated a steering group of eight people (two per cluster: health, children, active population and elderly). This Steering Group met twice to draft a work plan that was then shared during the second stakeholders meeting on 26th of November with 42 participants.

The next day, 27th of November, Nepal's National Day of Social Security, the trade unions mobilised for an event with the Nepali government regarding the contributory Social Security Fund, which fell right in the middle of the ILO Global Week on Social Protection where WSM also attended with 35 delegates.

At the level of Nepal, at the request of UNICEF, WSM also provided feedback on draft ToR for a consultant to be hired by UNICEF at the request of the National Planning Commission to work on an Integrated Framework for Social Protection.

Who has been involved?
This is the list of some of the 54 organisations attending, stakeholders of the (still informal) Nepal Network on the Right to Social Protection: Action Aid Nepal, Alliance for Social Dialogue, ANTUF, Children and Women in Social Services and Human Rights (CWISH), Collective Campaign for Peace (CoCAP), Anamnagar, Community Self Reliance Center (CSRC), Dalit NGO Federation, Federation of Community Forestry Users Group, Food-first Information and Action Network, Freelancer, Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT), Himalayan Nepal Foundation, Home Based Workers Concern Society Nepal, HomeNet Nepal, Integrated Development Society - Nepal, International Trade Unions Confederation - Nepal Affiliated Centers (ITUC-NAC), Jagaran Media Center, Jagriti Child and Youth Concern Nepal, Japan International Labour Foundation, Loo Niva, Khokana, MAG, Mahila Atma Nirvarta Kendra (MANK), Media Advocacy Group, MWCSN, Nari SewaKendra (NSK), National Labour Academy, National Senior Citizens Federation (NASCIF), NDWA, Nepal Disability Women Association, Nepal Participatory Network (NEPAN), Nepal Public Health Foundation, Nepal Trade Union Congress (NTUC), Nepal Youth Foundation, NFWLHA, NGO Federation of Nepal, Niti Foundation, NNDSWO, Oxfam UK Nepal, Plan International Nepal, PossibleHealth, SAAPE, Sankalpa Nepal, SARTUC, Save the Children, Shakti Samuha, Social Protection Civil Society Network (SPCSN), Sustainable Nepal Management Consultancies, Swatantrata Abhiyan Nepal, Tuki Association Sunkoshi and Women for Human Rights (WHR).

Nepal Express: experienced through the eyes of 16 Flemish

“I’m Phudoma (35) and I’ve been working as a trekking guide since I was 27. Coming to Kathmandu, I really didn’t know where to start. I first worked in hotels, making very little money. Then I went abroad for two years to work as a housekeeper. When I came back, I got an arranged marriage. My husband is also a trekking guide. Initially, I accompanied him on treks as assistant guide, making 5 EUR per day. After three years of marriage, I got a daughter. I didn’t get any maternity leave, because trekking is a seasonal activity. As a woman, I don’t get a lot of offers, maybe once or twice a season, making 1.700 NPR (17 EUR) per day. The months I do not work as guide, I often go back home to help my parents farming. Trekking is dangerous business and not a season goes by without some of us getting injured or dying. I was lucky enough never to have had any accident. Seven years ago I joined the trade union UNITRAV, affiliated to GEFONT, to improve my salary. Later I was elected as secretary of UNITRAV. They asked me to try to organize more female members, by training them as guides. We also try to organize the ladies working in the tea houses along trekking routes, as they can be potential guides or porters”.

This testimony was collected during the Nepal Express, a group trip organized by WSM in Nepal with 16 Flemish people from 21 Sept till 6 Oct. 2019. The trip, unlike many other immersion trips, focused on empathy, experience and challenges. Before even their arrival, each participant collected 2.000EUR to support WSM's Nepali partners. One of the portraits used by them to explain the realities in Nepal to their friends and family was of Doma Sherpa, a guide with UNITRAV, affiliated to GEFONT.

Having talked so often about her, the group was thrilled to have Doma be one of the guides while trekking. She explained that the bargaining power of guides used to be very little. Guides and porters would accept any offer. Since they became organized, they have made demands from the Travel Tours Association from Nepal (TAAN), which led to improvements in terms of salaries, insurance, shelter etc. In 2011, the salary for an assistant guide was 500 NPR (3,78 EUR). Since 2017, through negotiations, they obtained a minimum wage of 1.700 NPR (12,87 EUR) for guides and porters. Also the insurance for guides and partners had to be negotiated. Now, besides hospitality expenses, they have obtained fixed amounts per injury or death, which should apply automatically.

Afterwards one of the participants of the Nepal Express wrote this: “With mixed feelings, we return home. Happy for so many unforgettable experiences, but also a bit melancholic to leave this wonderful country and its incredibly friendly people. One thing is certain: each of us has a piece of Nepal in us for the rest of our lives.” See their pictures and updates form the trip on their Facebook page.