Solidarity of the “World Federation of Trade Teachers’ Unions” FISE (WFTU FSM) with the Nepalese working class and against the authoritarian drift and repression of trade union rights in Nepal
Friday, May 8, 2026
The new government led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah has undertaken a series of unprecedented attacks against the fundamental trade union rights of Nepalese workers, establishing a veritable dictatorship at the expense of the most basic democratic freedoms.
- Serious Violations of Trade Union Rights
- a) Elimination of Trade Unions in the Public Sector by Executive Order: On May 2, 2026, the government, through President Ram Chandra Paudel, passed “Some Nepal Acts Amendment Ordinance – 207,” which eliminates all trade unions within the state administration and the civil service.
- b) Restrictions Targeting Teachers and the Public Sector: As early as November 2025, Education Minister Mahabir Pun announced that the ministry would no longer recognize any teachers’ or professors’ federation linked to a political party and threatened to take legal action against any teacher or employee engaged in political activities.
Furthermore, civil servants have been demanding for months a federal law on the civil service that guarantees a national union with genuine collective bargaining power. Instead of responding to these legitimate demands, the government has chosen repression.
- c) Announced elimination of freedom of access to university: The same ordinance of May 2, 2026, also prohibits any student union linked to political parties and eliminates any space for free political expression within universities.
This attack on academic freedom is part of a broader project to place universities under political control, even as voices are being raised to demand their genuine autonomy.
- Violations of International Commitments and the Nepalese Constitution
Nepal has ratified ILO Convention No. 87 concerning Freedom of Association (1948) and Convention No. 98 concerning the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining (1949). However, the suppression of public sector unions and the banning of student unions directly violate these obligations.
- Appeals and Position Statement of the “World Federation of Trade Teachers’ Unions” FISE (WFTU FSM) Faced with this unprecedented slide towards authoritarianism, the FISE:
1) Expresses its full solidarity with the Nepalese working class, in particular teachers, healthcare workers, civil servants, and all public sector employees and students whose fundamental rights are being violated.
2) Vigorously protests against the Nepalese government’s abolition or restriction of the freedom of association and trade union rights of workers and students.
3) Calls on all trade unions and human rights organizations internationally to join this protest and to exert all necessary pressure – including through active solidarity measures and actions with ILO bodies – to obtain the immediate withdrawal of the repressive decrees and the restoration of trade union rights in Nepal.
For the General Secretariat of the Federation
World Federation of Teachers Unions (FISE)
Affiliated with the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU)
The General Secretary: Drissi Abderrazzak
