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INTRODUCTION OF UNITRAV
The “Union of Trekking Travels Rafting workers Nepal” (UNITRAV) is a trade union of those working in the trekking sector, such as guides and porters, as well as many others in the travel, rafting, airlines and cargo sectors in Nepal. It is the only registered trade union which is actively working to achieve higher standards of welfare, employee rights and social respect on behalf of all of these workers.
We were established in 1984, but because of the policies of the autocratic monarchy of that time, which banned all multiparty activities, it was only officially registered in 1994 as a trade union at the Ministry of Labor of Nepal, Register no 6/1994.
UNITRAV is affiliated with the GEFONT (“General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions”), which is the biggest trade union federation in Nepal. For more detail please log on to www.gefont.org
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UNITRAV has a central office at Kathmandu (the capital of Nepal) with a 15 member executive committee, all of whom represent the 5 different sectors of trekking, travel, rafting, airlines and cargo, plus another active regional co-ordination committee at Pokhara in the western part of the country. Together, we comprise about 1760 members in Kathmandu and about 900 in the Pokhara valley.
Due to the past political instability in Nepal and the serious lack of employment opportunities, many of our members have felt compelled to seek work as foreign labourers abroad or in the production industry. However, large numbers who are still out of work find it very hard to make ends meet. Unfortunately, the government has yet to develop specific policies for helping the unemployed. We are still trying to help those who have left to find work in other sectors, and are now consulting with our main trade union, the GEFONT, in order to find some solutions for this pressing problem.
We hope this brief introduction will give you some sense of who we are and what we stand for!
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