Cooperatives urged to participate in social security fund

Kathmandu–Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, Gokarna Bista has urged the workers in the cooperatives sector to participate in the Social Security Fund.

Addressing an orientation programme on implementation of the social security fund organized by the Ministry today, he called on all the cooperatives to be enlisted in the fund brought to give protection to all the employees.

The Labour, Employment and Social Security Minister said the fund has been initiated for the protection of the rights and interests of labourers while urging the cooperatives to cooperate to the government by implementing the social security fund.

He lauded the cooperatives for operating the campaign to make the country economically prosperous. Fund's executive director Kapil Gyawali said the cooperatives are being roped in in the fund for the protection of the future of the employees working in this sector.

Small Farmers and Cooperative Bank's executive director Dr Shivaram Koirala said they were ready to participate in the social security fund bit urged the government to be clear about the status of their contribution in the Employees Provident Fund before they participate in the social security fund.

Nepal Federation of Savings and Credit Cooperative Unions Ltd (NEFSCUN) chairman DB Basnet said that the cooperatives were willing to participate in the social security fund as doing so would insure that the cooperatives sector employees also will get pension. Chairman of the National Cooperatives Bank, KB Uprety urged for reforming some of the provisions for the cooperatives to participate in the social security fund.

The government had announced the Social Security Fund on November 27, 2018 and implemented it throughout the country on July 17, 2019. According to Fund executive director Gyawali, some 108,000 employees of 10,000 organizations are enlisted in the fund at present.

There are 35,000 cooperatives across the country and 500 of them have been enlisted in the fund. The deadline for participating in the fund is November 30.