KATHMANDU: Nepali society has numerous problems when it comes to labor relations. Society, economy, culture, and politics are all related to labor.

The discussion about the migrant workers turned out to be multifaceted as the migration is related to why the working-age population is deserting the country, how much they contribute to the economy of the country and how we have addressed their political rights.

While preparing the curriculum for labor studies, we tried to ensure that we have included the topics that need to be covered in that labor study.

After defining the course for the new stream under Humanities and Social Sciences of Tribhuvan University, we have been told that we should let one batch complete their course before we revise the syllabus.

We are about to complete one batch now. We will revise. The labor studies program has been introduced by the university now.

People also move from one place to another and get new knowledge, skills and technology. Due to that, our labor market has to be open.

We have sought the collaboration of the trade union, the employer sector and the government. The academia had to establish its various areas.

Various subjects of Labor Studies were studied while preparing the syllabus. Labor issues are related to population, sociology, anthropology, political science, economics and much more.

We have now established labor issues here in an integrated way as an academic discipline. There is no place without labor. Therefore, the relationship of labor should be looked at from all angles.

We also need to look at how important the labor relationship is. To see what human capital resources are like, we have to consider the working class, the class which works day and night for their livelihood yet is always found crushed by poverty.

The labor study program has been started at Tribhuvan University. This is on a cost-recovery basis. Other programs are run for free. If the number of students increases, we can move forward.

Another factor is that the digital economic platform, economy IT, etc have made the formal sector informal. This has pushed the issue of social security outside.

We have to address those problems. We can’t stop labor migration in the world right now. No creature is confined to one place.

People also move from one place to another and get new knowledge, skills and technology. Due to that, our labor market has to be open.

Nepal’s diplomacy is no more traditional diplomacy, it is labor diplomacy. Wherever the Nepali diaspora is, Nepal’s diplomacy must be established.

And, from there, the security of Nepali labor should be ensured through diplomacy. We have also covered those problems in our course.

There are provisions related to occupational safety and health. The law says the trade union implements the issues of occupational safety and health; however, we have not been able to implement it yet.

The labor study program has been started at Tribhuvan University. This is on a cost-recovery basis. Other programs are run for free. If the number of students increases, we can move forward.

If it does not go as expected, the program has to be made better with the support of the trade union sector and media platforms.

(Based on a discussion on labor)