Kathmandu, June 8
Civil servants across Nepal have launched an indefinite protest by wearing black armbands, demanding the issuance of a civil servant-friendly Federal Civil Service Act.
The protest began today under the leadership of the ‘Joint National Trade Union Network Movement Directive Committee’.
This directive committee includes several major organisations: the Nepal Civil Servants Organization (close to CPN-UML), the Nepal Civil Servants Union (aligned with the Nepali Congress), the Nepal National Civil Servants Organization (backed by the Maoist Centre), the Unified Government Employees Organization (close to CPN-Unified Socialist), the Independent Civil Servants’ Organization, and the Nepal Madhesi Civil Servants Forum.
A meeting of the directive committee held on May 2 (Jestha 20) under the chairmanship of Ambadatta Bhatt had decided on a protest program to press for the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Act. It was resolved that from June 8 (Jestha 25) onwards, until further notice, all government employees nationwide would wear black armbands while continuing to provide public services.
Following this decision, government employees across the country began the protest today, said RC Adhikari, General Secretary of the Nepal Civil Servants Organization.
